Superheroes due for modern facelift

In the nature of recent discussions, we have covered the space opera and the necessity of compassion in art. Now it's time for some comfort food: superhero stories.

Given last weekend's release of "The Dark Knight Rises" on the heels of this summer's Marvel double-header of "The ...

Stories seen as crux of humanity

A few weeks ago I began what I proposed to be a an exploartion of English academia, using genre studies to argue how the fractious nature of art in the modern world makes the boundaries between mediums somewhat irrelevant. It was a topic I was passionate in pursuing — and still ...

Joke misunderstood, point missed

(This column originally ran on July 19, 2011)

Some kids read comic books. Some read tween adventures like "Nancy Drew" and "The Hardy Boys," a genre which has exploded in recent years with the supernatural sub-genre populated by "Harry Potter" and the "Twilight Saga." Then there are kids like me ...

Science-fiction creates difficulties

Writing is a fickle mistress. I can recall Allen Wier telling stories in workshop about authors who would distract themselves from the task of immersing oneself in the work of creating characters and plot of thin air and the sheer horror of dangling their fates between one's fingers. Wier ...

Cooperation important to individuals

Let it be said that most jobs are thankless, and even those which get some props don't usually reward the actual work being done, just some vague idea or association.

Take the U.S. military for instance, whose inherent infallibility has often been touted by partisan news outlets and ...

Reality inspires American blues myth

Stories are like the object word in that classic childhood game "Telephone" - they start out as a first-hand experience and through the generations become twisted and defused into wild abstractions with only a brief trace of actual events.

Blues is perhaps the most prolific genre in music, since all of ...

'Kickstarter' possible savior for U.S.

Hey friends. Instead of visiting the sunbaked fields of Manchester this weekend, I am writing you a column, and I hope you are as pleased as I am with this prospect. After wracking my brain for something relevant, the obvious, like a snake, bit me square in the eye.

Anyone ...

Meaning of patriotism still pertinent

A recent acquaintance who has since become a good friend asked me point blank at one point if I was a patriot.

The situation involved my failure to pledge to the flag at a graduation ceremony, wherein the gathered masses in sleeveless t-shirts and Sunday best alike gathered to celebrate ...