Nonfiction
On Writing
On Writing isn't a how-to; it's a story. A love story. A life story. Like everyone's life story, it's a genre-bending mix of horror, thriller, romance, comedy, and inspiration. We learn lessons as he did, not through checklists and exercises, but through reflection. Examination. Application.
By Adam Patrick3 years ago in Critique
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa
The iconic Mona Lisa painting isn’t that large, but you don’t have to fail an art history class to recognize that mysterious smile. Do tourists wait because they appreciate portraiture, or because she’s been propelled into popularity? I still think she’s timeless.
By Maggie Elizabeth 3 years ago in Critique
Light Red Over Black
Seeing a jpeg image of a Mark Rothko painting serves no purpose. You have to see the painting itself to contemplate its meaning. If all you see is a painting, you are missing the point. A Rothko is all about the mood, the movement, and a connection with the artist.
By Raymond G. Taylor3 years ago in Critique
Halloween
More than 13 million pumpkins are wasted on Halloween - perfectly good food. More than $400m of uneaten sweets, thrown out. All to celebrate a day associated with evil, death and the sacrifice of children. One day you will open the door to hand out candy, and there's a gun.
By Hummingbird3 years ago in Critique
Painkiller
Opiods kill, especially when avarice doctors are rewarded for over-prescribing them. Be shocked when you read journalist Barry Meier’s PAINKILLER, a riveting account of how Arthur and Richard Sackler’s greed and marketing ingenuity caused death and destruction with their creation of Oxycontin. They lied. People died.
By Lynn Fenske3 years ago in Critique
The Downward Spiral
An uncompromisingly raw, aggressive, and at times, beautiful musical exploration of a descent into self-destruction. There's either a hopeful or hopeless end to the tale, depending on how you interpret it. Given the autobiographical nature of Trent Reznor's work and its parallels with his life, I've always felt the hope.
By Paul Stewart3 years ago in Critique
Jellystone, err... "Yellowstone"
Despite its nonsensical timeline, episodes follow the same pacing as Baywatch, but in Montana, so the beachy, butt-centric music video montages have been replaced by cattle-wrangling and rodeo routine music video montages. Also, no one plays a sympathetic character and everyone is a villain—except for Jimmy, the former meth cook.
By Philip Canterbury3 years ago in Critique
