After reading and reviewing Cloud Cuckoo Land, my best book of 2023, I knew I had to pick up another of Anthony Doerr's books. This time, I figured, why not the book that won him the Pulitzer? In true Doerr fashion, All the Light We Cannot See is a masterclass in poetry. Every sentence sings.... Continue Reading →
What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? Harper Lee's masterpiece and only true novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has been analyzed to death by critics and is quintessential reading for any middle school English class. How Lee manages to write with such pathos, conviction, and storytelling skill without ever having... Continue Reading →
I have thoughts. No surprise, I know, but being an oh-so-special lover of words, my thoughts tend to be stubborn things. They stick to my brain like molasses and refuse to go away. Unfortunately, we live in a time when having thoughts can be dangerous. Expressing an opinion---any opinion, really---is like strolling through a minefield.... Continue Reading →
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about MAUS, Art Spiegelman's moving holocaust graphic novel, now recently banned by the Tennessee School Board. Schools in Tennessee are run by ninnies, apparently, because all seven members voted to keep the book from the hands of middle schoolers owing to the book's depiction of... Continue Reading →
Basically porn. Is every heroine in a skimpy outfit inherently sexist? Is objectification directly proportional to the amount of skin on display? Or is it all about the pose? Do male heroes like He-Man exist solely as a projection fantasy? Or can women enjoy looking at scantily clad men in the same way, and do... Continue Reading →
I had no plans to write a post tonight. It's late, I've had a long day, and I am tired. Plus, this isn't a political blog. My power to influence anyone's opinion is null. But I can't sleep, and these are the words rattling around in my skull. Ever since Trump got elected four years... Continue Reading →
I have lost two friends over Trump. My cycling buddy was the first, whom I hardly had much in common with, other than hitting the trail. The other friend I've known for two-decades. Back in the 90s, long before Facebook, fans of niche pop culture met through e-mail lists, where we shared our passion for... Continue Reading →
Let me make this perfectly clear: Trump is the bad guy. He’s the villain we have to defeat. He’s the threat endangering America. Trump is a liar, a conman, a thief, a racist, and a sex offender, but worst of all, he's a dictator wannabe with fascist tendencies. If you are even considering voting for... Continue Reading →
There is a poignant scene in the last episode of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, where a young girl asks, after escaping to Canada, "Is this where we can wear whatever we want?" As a naturist, this scene had a particularly powerful impact on me. What people are or are not allowed to wear cuts at the... Continue Reading →
Solstice Night by Alice Gastaldon I am passionate about my heroes, Xandr and Thelana, because I share their values, and attitudes, regarding communal nakedness. Since clothing is utterly unknown to their people, the Ilmar, they have no sense of body shame, no understanding, actually, of what it means to be "naked". The Ilmar manage this... Continue Reading →
The Art of Storytelling 
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