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About this blog

Always Halloween and Never Thanksgiving

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Happy Birthday, Shirley Jackson!

On this day in 1916, the great Shirley Jackson was born. Here’s a little piece I wrote earlier this year about teaching Jackson’s remarkable novel Hangsaman. It’s posted at “Reading Shirley Jackson in the 21st Century,” an online resource investigating the past and future landscapes of Shirley Jackson studies. I’m looking forward to teaching The Haunting of Hill House in January! Teaching Shirley Jackson’s Hangsaman (1951) by Amy H. Sturgis
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

Halloween 2022: Day 30

It’s Halloween Eve, and this is a favorite of mine! This quote, in particular, is one of my favorite lines from any song. Song: “Crazy Mary” Quote: That which you fear most could meet you halfway. Read the complete lyrics. Listen to the performance of Victoria Williams…
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

<p>I was sorry to learn of the death of directo...

I was sorry to learn of the death of director He Ping last month. I’ve treated myself to a rewatch of his memorable wuxia/Western film Warriors of Heaven and Earth in tribute. (It’s pictured here with some of the other movies in my “films by or with Jiang Wen” collection.)
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

Halloween 2023: 31 Days of Dark Academia, October 20

Dark Academia novel: The Whispering Dark by Kelly Andrew (2022) Quote: She’d heard of Godbole. Everyone had. It was a highly prestigious yet controversial program, a magnet for those who dabbled in the occult. … And so, on a bluebird day in September, she packed up her things and she went. To conquer the world, and maybe some others. To prove that she could.   She took a breath and she took a step. And the shadows followed. ALT
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

Halloween 2022: Day 20

Song: “Sad Wind Sighs” Quote: Now the sad wind sighs in the lonesome graveyard.
The cold rain falls, and the trees bow down.
I can hear my darlin’ softly callin’,
But she’s asleep in the cold cold ground. Read the complete lyrics. Listen to the performance of The Grascals…
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

Halloween 2022: Day 24

Song: “Willie Moore” Quote: She threw herself in Willie Moore’s arms,
As oft time had done before,
But little did he think when they parted that night
Sweet Anna he would see no more. It was about the tenth of May,
The time I remember well,
That very same night her body disappeared
In a way that no one could tell. Read the complete lyrics. Listen to the performance of the Kossoy Sisters…
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

Halloween 2022: Day 29

Song: “Ghost” Quote: In the wind, there’s a lonesome sound.
In the night, there’s a cry from the hill country ground.
It’s a hum from an ancient tone.
It’s a presence. I can feel it in my bones.
Somethin’ I can’t see has been surroundin’ me,
There’s a ghost trying to talk through me. Read the complete lyrics. Listen to South Austin Jug Band’s performance…
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

Halloween 2023: 31 Days of Dark Academia, October 18

Dark Academia novel: River of Ashes by Alexandrea Weis and Lucas Astor (2022) Quote: He waited for the animal to charge. Instead, it turned and raced into the brush. Smug with his victory, he turned back toward The Abbey. At the iron gate, he raised his head to the night sky. The stars weren’t twinkling, and there was no moon. Perfect. He cut across the field of high grass. Not far from the cells, the lone howl of a dog stopped him in his tracks. Silence. Seconds ticked by, but the only sounds were the chirp of the crickets and the occasional croak of frogs. When the dogs appear, death is near. He chuckled. Maybe the dogs knew what he had planned.  ALT
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

“Looking Back on Genre History”

My latest “Looking Back on Genre History” segment is now available on the new episode of the StarShipSofa podcast. I discuss the concept of the timeslip. ALT ALTALT
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

Halloween 2022: Day 12

Song: “Bluestone Mountain” Quote: Sometimes I wonder if God watches.
And sometimes life can turn in cruel ways
‘Cause on a cold autumn day in late October
Little Jacob wandered in Scott Hollow Cave. Now the caves of West Virginia run forever
Like a maze of black ribbon through the ground.
Cora went to search for little Jacob,
But neither Jake nor Cora would be found. Read the complete lyrics. Listen to the performance of Bluestone County Bluegrass…
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

Halloween 2022: Day 25

Song: “Callie Calling” Quote: I hear my Callie callin’, callin’ every night.
She stirs around each evenin’, but never in the light.
Haunts me and she taunts me and fills my heart with fright.
I hear my Callie callin’, callin’ every night. Sometimes she whispers, other times she screams.
It’s hard to tell the difference, if she’s real or in my dreams.
She’s the creakin’ in the ceilin’, the knock upon the door,
The wind outside the window, and the footsteps on the floor. Listen to Milan Miller’s performance…
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

Halloween 2022: Day 17

Song: “Little Omie Wise” Quote: Little Omie, little Omie, I’ll tell you my mind:
My mind is to drown you and leave you behind. Read the complete lyrics. Listen to Doc Watson’s performance…
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

New Dark Academia Presentation

I am very happy to report that I will be presenting my paper “Missing Students and Their Fictional Afterlives: True Crime, Crime Fiction, and Dark Academia” at the Guilty Pleasures: Examining Crime in Popular Culture conference (May 2-3, 2024) sponsored by the Popular Culture Research Network. This talk is related to my current work-in-progress book project. I’m looking forward to it!
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

Halloween 2022: Day 28

Song: “Graveyard Blues” Quote: I got up this morning,
With the blues all around my bed.
I got up this morning,
With blues all around my bed.
I had a dream last night
The one that I loved was dead. Read the complete lyrics. Listen to the performance of Roscoe Holcomb…
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

 

It’s wonderful to hear Martine G. Ræstad on this episode of Women At Warp discussing how the…

It’s wonderful to hear Martine G. Ræstad on this episode of Women At Warp discussing how the Federation’s economy works. Martine contributed the excellent essay “The Future Burning Brightly: The Dual Impact of Energy in Star Trek’s Post-Scarcity Universe” to our new Vernon Press anthology Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier. Episode 234: How Does the Federation Economy Work? Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

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