Essay

Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around On Writing, Stephen King The simple truth in modern America, men are not as interested in reading fiction… read more

The train is crowded, it being rush hour, and fairly quiet and orderly. Almost everyone looks like a working professional. Almost everyone is certainly that. But there is more going… read more

The Roman writer Aulus Gellius relates an amusing story in his book Attic Nights (Noctes Atticae, IX.4).  Returning from Greece to Italy and stopping at the port of Brundisium, he… read more

Stacy’s parents knew she was something special — she displayed extraordinary artistic talents at a very young age. So as a child they bought her an array of creative material… read more

Back in 2013, Aurora Snow wrote a letter to her son. For those of you who don’t know who she is, Aurora Snow is a retired (aged out) hardcore porn actress with 384 films to… read more

Conflagrations of internet outrage all seem to follow a predictable pattern.  A recent flare-up of outrage over a Twitter joke by comedian Stephen Colbert is just the latest manifestation of… read more

Being out of town for two weeks I fell behind on the drama going on back home. I was, however, only slightly surprised when I showed up the house party… read more

Isaac Asimov’s 1941 short story Nightfall is considered one of the best in the canon of modern science fiction.  I have found it to be a useful parable in interpreting … read more

“OMG…you are the most disgusting, worthless piece of flesh to walk the internet. Please get hit by a bus, then backed over. actually, I hope the bus has a giant… read more

Pressure reveals the man.  Take a man, any man, and subject him to extreme stress.  Subject him to sleep deprivation or fear, exhaustion, and the uncertainties of climate and personal… read more