I’m reading J.H. Prynne’s The White Stones for the first time and while enjoying it, I often find myself feeling lost. I don’t find that a negative response; I have often felt that way with works that have become favorites. There are themes and images that connect across the poems and I’m just barely getting an overall … Continue reading to be warm and tired/without some impossible flame in the heart
The Bat (1959) Dir. Crane Wilbur By no means even a good film, but for Vincent Price and “old” movie fans, it’s not completely terrible. Though it’s more thriller than the traditional horror films Price is known for, he plays a familiar character here. The Bat, a mysterious criminal and killer, gets one of the … Continue reading Recent Viewing
Too Loud a Solitude Bohumil Hrabal 1976/1989 This was recommended by a friend who went to Czechoslovakia and had this book recommended to him by a bookstore clerk as representative of the nation’s literature. Solitude is just over 100 pages and reads a little like Kafka, and a little like Beckett. The book deals with … Continue reading Recently Read
Since we’ve had threats of snow this week, the kids and I watched The Snowy Day adaptation on Netflix. Ezra Jack Keats’s little book is one of my favorite children’s stories, and, to be expected, gets much altered in an extended animated version. It does capture Keats’s art and the atmosphere of his story, though … Continue reading The First of Possible Weekly Updates That No One Asked For. You’re Welcome and Happy New Year!
My favorite films from the past year of viewing. Considering that this isn’t even all the movies I watched this year, I’d have to say that I’m compulsive. I genuinely love film. Also, I need to look at this list every time I think I don’t have time to write. Films in bold are particular … Continue reading The Year in Viewing 2016
Shelf of Fame 2016 Books I found particularly moving, thoughtful, or useful this year. Fiction Dracula: Bram Stoker I love Gothic novels. I’ve read this maybe four or five times. The more I read it, the more I enjoy it and all its strengths and weaknesses. Gulliver’s Travels: Jonathan Swift I had read a children’s … Continue reading The Year in Reading 2016
I never get as much material out in the world as I intend to, but I don’t necessarily consider that a bad thing. I’ve been publishing since the ‘90s, and manage a few things every year while teaching. Since the birth of my first daughter, instead of keeping up with music and other hobbies, I’ve … Continue reading The Year in Writing 2016
I celebrate Day of the Dead by writing “calaveras literarias.” Some people write poems for loved ones, but another tradition is to write humorous “tombstones.” I write the latter–-or try to. I mostly try to make fun of myself for my students. Here Lies McClurg (2016) All day he read in a nook. I yelled … Continue reading Seven Calaveras
I Sell the Dead (2008) Well-acted and fun horror comedy about grave robbers that weighs in heavier as comedy than horror. It’s not bad, but these are often not my thing. I wanted to see Angus Scrimm in one of his last roles, especially since he was excited about playing violin in this. In the … Continue reading Halloween Horror Binge: Week Four, Part II
Stephen McClurg 