Steveawiggins

LATEST ARTICLES ( 4565 )

• Next Books

  

  The other day an older friend asked about my writing.  My answer was brief because it’s complicated.  Not because I do it from three to four a.m.  Not because... Read more

  Posted on 17 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Ghost Publishers

  

  Ancient Near Eastern studies, where my academic work has the widest recognition, is still an area of fascination.  I have to hold myself back when I see a new... Read more

  Posted on 16 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Thought Experiment

  

  One benefit of aging is that hiccups become less common.  They were always a conversation starter when I was younger—someone you were on a date with, or a... Read more

  Posted on 15 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Haunted Landscapes

  

  The Devil’s Advocates series consists of short books focused on a single horror film. For horror fans they’re a great resource, as they will hopefully also be i... Read more

  Posted on 14 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Religious Dinosaurs

  

  Dippy is, apparently, a common name for pet diplodocuses.  The statue of a diplodocus outside the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh is fondly known as “Dippy,” as i... Read more

  Posted on 13 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Pop Culture

  

  Something I was reading recently made me ponder how we become acquainted with culture, particularly pop culture.  I can really only speak for myself, but I... Read more

  Posted on 12 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Degrees of Separation

  

  For some reason lost in the fog of weblandia, I get The New York Times, “The Morning” delivered to my email. By carefully not clicking the links I can get my... Read more

  Posted on 11 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Walking Bear

  

  Indigenous peoples have been on my mind over the past several months. Indeed, I read books by American Indian authors with awe. Read more

  Posted on 10 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Sky Dwellers

  

  If the atmosphere’s an ocean, we’re all bottom-dwellers.  Ancient peoples populated the sky above with incorporeal beings, starting with a god, or gods, at the... Read more

  Posted on 09 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Everything’s a Nail

  

  Taking my first, tentative steps into horror analysis, I had read a great many monographs on the subject. I had watched many horror films over the years, but... Read more

  Posted on 08 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Ritual Time

  

  Timeless, it is.  The internet I mean.  The ultimate 24/7.  No matter the time, day or night, it’s always here.  And that’s good because time’s about to change... Read more

  Posted on 06 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Horror Week

  

  “Remember, remember, the fifth of November,” the old rhyme goes.  Earlier this week I advocated for Halloween being the start of the holiday season. Read more

  Posted on 05 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Story Time

  

  Why am I so nervous about this?  I’ve done it hundreds of times.  Perhaps it’s because it’s a public place in a pandemic.  Maybe it’s because I’ve never used... Read more

  Posted on 04 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Holiday Season

  

  Halloween, in some ways, is the unofficial kick-off of the holiday season.  This was made clear to me when someone recently played the song “Soul Cake” in the... Read more

  Posted on 03 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• What’s Poppin’?

  

  “How are things in the world of finance?” Admiral Boom calls to a passing George Banks.  The bland answer of fine as everything is good with the pound sterling... Read more

  Posted on 02 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Horror Show

  

  The horror film history narrative runs something like this: although there had been some scary movies in the silent era, the term “horror” was first used to... Read more

  Posted on 01 November 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Spirit of Halloween

  

  So it’s Halloween.  It’s also Sunday.  I’ve been thinking quite a lot about the spirituality of this particular day.  Now it’s often treated as a trick, a... Read more

  Posted on 31 October 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Angel of Harvest

  

  It’s been a few weeks ago now, but one October Saturday we attended the Lehigh Valley Vegstock.  Autumn is the season for harvest festivals and a surprising... Read more

  Posted on 30 October 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Author Talks

  

  are one of my favorite perks.  While work obligations mean I often can’t attend, I was glad to have caught this week’s visit by Mathias Clasen. Read more

  Posted on 29 October 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY

• Not Quite Quetzalcoatl

  

  It must be difficult to write the same basic story over and over. And nostalgic adults like me can be tough critics as we try to recapture faded childhood... Read more

  Posted on 28 October 2021 POLITICS, RELIGION, SOCIETY