Features
Monday, November 1 2004
Three Miles of Bad Road
No matter that the coast is a mosquito-infested swampland and the region a well-worn corridor for house-destroying hurricanes, newly-created communities along this strip of eastern North Carolina attract wealthy retirees from the northern states. They come with their large sailboats, Lincoln Towncars, and an insatiable desire for golf. But when they emerge from their gated communities they rub elbows, so to speak, with the people who have lived here for generations; many accustomed to working 12 hours a day for minimum wage and no benefits.
Friday, May 7 2004
godZ and Me
Me and godZ -- fraternal twins of different mothers -- we have tried to curtail the anger within and, despite all odds against us, we feel we have made a positive impact.
Thursday, July 3 2003
The House of the Scorpion and More: Summer Reading List for Ages 8-15
Now, six years later, things are quite different: George W. is our president, Laura Bush is the First Lady, and the Texas Book Festival has morphed into one of the premier literary events in the country.
Tuesday, September 25 2001
Steal This List
This summer marks the fiftieth anniversary of J.D. Salinger's classic novel of adolescence adrift, 'The Catcher in the Rye'. Rob Maitra, 'PopMatters' critic and high-school teacher, brings us a report from the field that confirms that, even after half a century, Holden Caulfield is still very much alive -- and kicking.
Columns
Thursday, December 26 2002
Narrative Journeys
I see it as the globalization of the Southern experience.
Wednesday, July 24 2002
Hollering Therapy
Confederate soldiers utilized the Rebel Yell to put fear into the hearts and souls of the Union Army. It also made them happy, I suspect, to holler in the woods.
Wednesday, June 26 2002
The Pantego Mud Run: A Fourth of July Event
Many have described the Mud Run as Heaven on Earth for folks who love beer, tattoos, tube tops, and tobacco
Wednesday, May 29 2002
Touring the South
Agri-tourism. It seems people will pay good money to drive a tractor, weed collards, and pick cotton.
Tuesday, April 23 2002
Southern Yard Art
. . . the inevitable chemical breakdown of the rubber components of tractor tires . . . combined with the unfortunate fading of red plastic in both artificial begonias and roses, brought about a sense of urgency in the group's ultimate mission . . .
Reviews
Tuesday, June 8 2004
The Schooling of Claybird Catts by Janis Owens
Coming of age plots haven't gone out of style -- the term has. There's got to be a better phrase: Grow up or shut up. Reality excursions. Maturity madness.
Wednesday, January 21 2004
The Week You Weren't Here by Charles Blackstone
Critics must be fair in their evaluation of a book and they must explain their disappointment or their joy. They should, from time to time, recommend that others give a book a try -- that their analysis is not the final word.
Monday, January 12 2004
Paranoia by Joseph Finder
Reviewers should never reveal that critical plot pivot early in most suspense thrillers when the reader should stop and think about the protagonist's course of action. The 'give away point' you could call it.
Wednesday, November 5 2003
Lunch at the Picadilly by Clyde Edgerton
Clyde Edgerton, a combination of Mark Twain and Will Rogers, is the quintessential southern storyteller.
Thursday, October 16 2003
Stalking the Divine: Contemplating Faith with the Poor Clares by Kristin Ohlson
Imagine a small group of cloistered nuns, right in the middle of Cleveland, who pray for the City, all day, all night. This is their calling. In 2003. Gives you chills, doesn't it? The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, cloistered in a monastery, they're praying for you.
