Last night I did my third reading with the good folks at Pungent Parlour, and to celebrate my newfound breaks from the stifling worlds of business and academia, I read my freshly penned letter to late Wisconsin folk hero Jeffrey Dahmer. And now I’m sharing it here because it’s a little too blue for Shouts and… Continue reading STOP! Dahmertime.
Category: blog
Graduate Recognition Speech
Last Thursday I was invited to be a Distinguished Student Speaker at Northeastern Illinois University‘s Graduate Recognition Ceremony. My upbringing and history has made me suspect of all institutions, but my experience at NEIU has been a boon for my confidence, production, and direction. And now I have a Master of Arts degree. Below I’m… Continue reading Graduate Recognition Speech
A Conversation with Structo
In 2012 I published a short story in Structo: Issue 8, and the good people over with the UK-based lit-mag started a series where they interview former contributors, seeing what’s new and good and so on and so forth. Today it was my turn. Go here to read the full conversation, where I’m name-dropping Dostoyevsky, Terrence… Continue reading A Conversation with Structo
A Toxic Filmography
I am less than a month away from my thesis defense meeting at Northeastern Illinois University. Once I’ve successfully completed that (fingers crossed), I will be receiving my Master of Arts degree the following month. The working title for my project is “Toxic Cults.” Sexy, right? I’m still refining my final draft, but today I… Continue reading A Toxic Filmography
What I Watched in 2014. Including ‘Jack Reacher’ for Some Reason.
Though 2014 was a busy year for me, I managed to fill my downtime with regular doses of B- and C-grade media, and an occasional A-grade treat. And I’ve captured (almost) all of it in the below list that charts all films and TV series I watched during the year. There is a lot more… Continue reading What I Watched in 2014. Including ‘Jack Reacher’ for Some Reason.
A Thank-You Letter to the Packard Foundation
Have you heard of Vasalgel? It’s a new contraceptive technology for men that’s recently been making news rounds at The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Daily Beast, The New York Times, and others. The short version is that Vasalgel is a safe, non-invasive, non-hormonal, and completely reversible form of male contraception. And if you don’t believe me, read… Continue reading A Thank-You Letter to the Packard Foundation
Freedom From Religion
Pleased to announce that I’ve placed in the 2014 Brian Bolton Graduate/Older Students Essay Contest, offered by the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The essay had to answer “why ‘Religious Liberty’ does not mean the right to impose your religion on others,” and though I played by the rules on this particular submission, I’m glad to see… Continue reading Freedom From Religion
Everything Loose Will Land
“Tip the world on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.” Once said Frank Lloyd Wright, famously smug. In his mind was the teenage City of Angels, then and now a sprawling metropolis of traffic jams, cultural piracy, and media cacophony. Angelenos had no innate culture but for those rootless scraps landing… Continue reading Everything Loose Will Land
Boston: Spring 2014
I went to Boston at the beginning of May to visit my wife’s family. Here’s a sampling of the pictures I took with my dope-as-hell GoPro. You can view the rest at my Flickr. .
Letters to Ted Kaczynski: Part I
[I began writing letters to Ted K back in 2011. I needed a muse and so I designated Ted K as the would-be receiver of my epistolary confessionals. I have and will never sent these letters to Ted K. They’re for my own amusement. And now yours. I plan on posting them intermittently. Following is… Continue reading Letters to Ted Kaczynski: Part I
ben van loon 