Blog Update for October 2017

CCLaP Links Not Working? Since 2012 I have reviewed books for the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography (CCLaP). Recently CCLaP has moved its website to a new WordPress platform. If you haven’t already, you should check out the New Look. Unfortunately, during the transition the old links couldn’t be transferred over. What does this mean? I will have to change the links for every book review and related post. This will be a long-term summer project on my end. I ask for your patience and understanding in this matter. In the mean time I have included a new CCLaP … Continue reading Blog Update for October 2017

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Critic’s Notebook: David Bowie and the Physiology of Taste

The Argument David Bowie’s recent death has closed a page on music history. On a more personal level, Bowie has been a constant in my life for decades. Beyond mere 80s nostalgia (Labyrinth) or 90s nostalgia (Lost Highway, Outside, and Earthling), Bowie has been instrumental to me personally as a taste-maker. He led me down strange avenues and provided the raw material for discovery and aesthetic experimentation. Embryo My fascinating with David Bowie began early. I can still remember the first Bowie album I bought, sometime in the Nineties. It was a CD of Tonight (1984), an album even Bowie … Continue reading Critic’s Notebook: David Bowie and the Physiology of Taste

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On Being Human Redux: Frankenstein Underground, by Mike Mignola and Ben Stenbeck

When I wrote “On Being Human,” I wrote an essay on Mike Mignola’s “Hellboy.” “Frankenstein Underground” expands on Mignola’s pulpy universe, giving us a fun graphic novel about Frankenstein’s monster. Continue reading On Being Human Redux: Frankenstein Underground, by Mike Mignola and Ben Stenbeck

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On Being Human Redux: Notes on “Orphan Black”

An occasional series that is a continuation of my essay anthology, On Being Human: critical looks at books and movies that examine the question of humanity. (Buy the limited edition hardcover, Kindle version, or download it for free at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography.) Via Orphan Black: Season 3 will be premiering on April 18, 2015 on BBC America. Below are a series of notes on Seasons 1 and 2. Due to the nature of these essays, they contain many spoilers, major and minor. If you haven’t seen the series, I would suggest watching it before reading these … Continue reading On Being Human Redux: Notes on “Orphan Black”

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CCLaP Fridays: NSFW Files … the Book! Coming out next Monday (1/19/15)

The NSFW Files includes essays on erotica written by a Nobel laureate, an outsider artist, a surrealist, and a French prisoner, among many more. Most important, the essay collection offers an answer to the question, “What dirty book should I read next?” Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: NSFW Files … the Book! Coming out next Monday (1/19/15)

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On Being Human Redux: Breakaway (Cassandra Kresnov, Book Two), by Joel Shepherd

Continuing with this week’s theme, I’ll be looking at Breakaway (Cassandra Kresnov, Book Two). The book follows fast on the heels of Crossover, where we are introduced Cassandra Kresnov, an artificial human and former super-soldier of The League. Continue reading On Being Human Redux: Breakaway (Cassandra Kresnov, Book Two), by Joel Shepherd

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