Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4560 )

• Funny Scares

  

  Camp has its own aesthetic. I’m not talking about the kind with tents and sleeping bags, but that has its own aesthetic too. No, I mean campiness in pop culture. Read more

  Posted on 02 September 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Reframing

  

  Theory can be tough to stomach, but once you get through it you can often find all kinds of valuables in an academic book. I learned quite a lot from Cecilia... Read more

  Posted on 01 September 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Self-Correcting

  

  A comment by a friend regarding Wikipedia recently got me thinking about self-correcting systems.  When I was teaching, I didn’t eschew Wikipedia like many of m... Read more

  Posted on 31 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Life Semesters

  

  Some people have a school calendar in their blood.  For me, that was one of the great appeals of the teaching profession.  I worked a lot during summers—class... Read more

  Posted on 30 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• How Many Stairs?

  

  It tries. It really does. Still, The Girl on the Third Floor is just not that good. It got quite a few accolades, but I was waiting for something extraordinary. Read more

  Posted on 29 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Whence We Are

  

  Rootless.  Or perhaps a better word is “wandering.”  Although I was born in Pennsylvania, neither of my parents were and back another generation, few of the... Read more

  Posted on 28 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• More Young Fear

  

  Okay, so the second one has a cliff-hanger ending. I should’ve seen that coming. This installment of Jessica Verday’s The Hollow Trilogy moves the story pretty... Read more

  Posted on 27 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Good Horror

  

  As strange as it may seem, my goal in life has always been to bring more good into the world.  As they phrase it in Nerdfighteria, helping “to decrease world... Read more

  Posted on 26 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Christian Horror

  

  Following the lead of a friend (I don’t regularly read Christianity Today on my own), I found “How Horror Uncovers Our ‘Holy’ Hypocrisy,” by Sara Kyoungah White. Read more

  Posted on 25 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Lights, Camera

  

  I’m not quite sure how the monster in Lights Out should be classified. Perhaps a tulpa? A tulpa is a materialized being brought about by the power of thought,... Read more

  Posted on 24 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Used, Again

  

  It may be impolitic to admit it, but I have positive associations with Amazon.  This goes back to before they started using smily boxes. Read more

  Posted on 23 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Hidden Improvement

  

  I believe in improvement. Even for a journeyman writer like W. E. D. (Marilyn) Ross. At least in his Dark Shadows books. For much of the series the plot is... Read more

  Posted on 22 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Not the Exorcist

  

  It’s too bad The Pope’s Exorcist didn’t come out before Nightmares with the Bible. In that book I tried to make the connection between demons and nightmares... Read more

  Posted on 21 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Hope by Butterflies

  

  Butterflies are the most hopeful of animals.  I’m always thrilled when I see the first ones of spring and I silently cheer on those that last until autumn. Read more

  Posted on 20 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• In the Air

  

  It’s a strange but strong connection. Between Halloween and me, that is. I’ve always loved the holiday. I don’t like being scared, however, and gory horror... Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Review, Please

  

  I realize few academics read my musings.  (Heck, few non-academics read them either!)  Nevertheless, I have a plea: please be a peer reviewer when asked! Read more

  Posted on 18 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Still Not Resolved

  

  Yesterday I posted about the independent movie Resolution. It’s actually part of a set, the other half of which is titled The Endless. Read more

  Posted on 17 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Not Resolved

  

  Some movies are intentionally mind-blowing. Knowing the kind of movies I like, a friend suggested Resolution with the enticing note that it is free on Amazon... Read more

  Posted on 16 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Fear and Reviewing

  

  I have a confession to make.  I don’t always read reviews of my books.  I’m always a little scared, even though they made it through the review process and... Read more

  Posted on 15 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Young Fear

  

  The amazing thing about people is that even when you’re aging you remember what it was like to be young. I used to have to stop and consciously think of that... Read more

  Posted on 14 August 2023 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY