Justin Howe's Blog, page 65
July 28, 2011
And Another Reason
And here's another reason to keep a blog: I get to make a little archive of neat stuff found or read online. Case in point, :
"What emerges from all this is more evidence of the steep valley that lies between history and nostalgia, wherein a penchant for the latter tends to shape one's attitude and interpretation of the former.
The Internet exacerbates this condition, building up our perception of the past through the endless reproduction and celebration of...
July 27, 2011
A Quick One
The thing about teaching kids is that you're constantly bumping into and having to deal with your own impulses/negative emotions/short-sightedness, except it's in another person, a kid, who has no idea how to mask, hide, or, most importantly, deal with these things.
In not unrelated news, Jun got mad that none of the other students would let him cheat at Halli Galli or let him bully them, so he took his ball and went home.
Parents, I don't know how you do it.
(Which isn't to say I don't find...
July 25, 2011
The Future of Reading in Pictures
Right now I see readers existing on a continuum. At one end we have the addict�
 "I read that GRRM novel in two days. You got anything else? Robin Hobb? Joe Abercrombie? Scott Lynch? Brandon Sanderson? Nothing! C'mon, man, I'm dying! What about a World of Warcraft tie-in novel�"
At the other end we have the fetishist�
"� wraparound gold embossed *gasp* slip cover with *pant* waxen end pages and *sniff* mint-tinged book binding glue *squee*�"
Of course both can and do exist in the same...
July 21, 2011
Some Houses
A row of houses near the school where I teach. Behind them is the old beach, Songdo Beach. The houses have courtyards accessible through those wide doorways and these lush interiors belie the otherwise blank exteriors. Across the street from here is the weather station along with a pine tree park and a highrise apartment complex.
July 17, 2011
Homeland
"Homeland is not flags, anthems, or apodictic speeches about emblematic heroes, but a handful of places and people that populate our memories and tinge them with melancholy, the warm sensation that no matter where we are, there is a home for us to return to."
- From Mario Vargas Llosa's "In Praise of Reading and Fiction"
July 15, 2011
Can We Stop Having This Conversation?
This whole literature versus genre fight, can we just stop it?
This fight between "poseurs" and "hacks", it's like a fight between two paranoid reclusive relatives. Each lives behind barricaded doors, ranting against the evils of the other. Meanwhile the actual reader has to put up with them. "Oh yeah. That hack. Jeez, she's all hung up on plot over there. Yeah. Better add another lock on your door. See you next week. Thanks for the Borges."
Attention and energy are limited. Read what you...
July 14, 2011
The Homeless Moon 4: Chapbook Available
"Over the town roamed the homeless moon, and I wandered along after her, warming up in my heart impracticable dreams and disordant songs." � Isaac Babel
Elsewhere online some friends and I share a . Since 2007 we have put out a chapbook each year at ReaderCon. This year's no different, only all the stories are set in a shared universe. Copies will be available at ReaderCon or you can download them in , , and formats.
July 13, 2011
I Have Ten Bad Habits and Blogging Is One
Once upon a time I had a . Now I have this WordPress blog.
What can you expect here?
Posts about living in a foreign country, posts about missing a home country, posts about reading books, posts about watching movies, posts about walking around and looking at things, random quotes, random pictures, and/or links to random sites.
That should cover it.
