And a soul-searching question for every writer — If you had no hope, would you keep writing? This is the story of one woman’s choice. The Suitcase In 1941, Irène Némirovsky began work on an epic five-part novel, in which she planned to trace the unfolding war in Europe from a French perspective. Paper was scarce, so she…

Handy conceptual shortcuts (+ a few comic touches) — Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) may be the most interesting of all modern philosophers. He is widely credited as the father of modern pessimistic philosophy, and a major influence in key 20th-century developments such as: symbolist, absurdist and postmodern literature post-Romantic music post-Newtonian physics psychology of the unconscious and the irrational

A slow fading ends . . . Once upon a time, I created a Medium publication called Nothing Applies, and subtitled “A literary focus on some philosophical and psychological matters — as seen through the lens of one writer, one novel.” I went to a good bit of trouble…

Excerpts from a vintage interview with the American Taoist master Charles Belyea — Working my way through stacks of saved magazines and newspaper clippings, I reached a 1997 copy of Yoga Journal. It fell open to a centerfold that seemed for a moment like the very essence of serenity. I had never heard of Charles Belyea, and despite the fact that I know…

A unique, unforgettable view of the Holocaust and its aftermath . . . — The Complete Maus is a graphic chronicle of artist Art Spiegelman’s attempt to understand his father’s life, his mother’s death, and his own identity. To say it is unique is to say the least. Spiegelman’s Jewish parents were both Holocaust survivors — or it might be more correct to say…

The “Nightmare Alleys” of Guillermo del Toro and William Lindsay Gresham If you happened to see the teaser-trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s remake of Nightmare Alley last summer, you might have noticed a close-up image of a Tarot reading. But you won’t see that frame — or anything else about…

The art of aligning with your own values — What is “Self-Synchrony”? Briefly — that feeling you have when: Decisions seem obvious Actions seem natural Life seems to flow rather than flounder I can’t tell you how to get there — everyone has their own path. But I can offer a visual aid that I thought of one day…

Basically, I was born writing and can’t seem to stop — The toy typewriter pictured above resembles one I played with probably in first grade. You turn the dial to a desired letter and press down to print it (the keys don’t actually work). Before that unit, I had a rubber-stamp alphabet that could be used to put words on paper…

Ambitious, innovative — and incredibly original — I’m still trying to fathom the extent (and intent) of Suzanne Treister’s Hexen 2.0 project, but I’ll tell you what I’ve figured out so far. Beginning with — these comments from a 2013 New York Times review of the Hexen…