HALLOWEEN BOOK FEATURE: Witch Studies
My pick for the Halloween book of 2025 is The Witch Studies Reader. It is a collaboration of 44 experts, mostly university professors. This large book (500 pages) is broadly…
21st Century Take Back: a poem
Where will you be in 2035? Still protesting your victimhood on college campuses Or claiming an indignity based on your inability to be kind. While turning that around- pushing, shoving,…
The Anatomy of “’night, Mother” — When Words Become the Stage
The making of a great play, or novel, or any art form that is based on words contains several elements: character development; what is said and what is not; expression…
Best Feature Horror Film for 2025
Fans of horror films were able to wallow (mostly in blood) at the recent Austin Horror Film Festival. The armadillo stole the show in the feature film McConadilla, directed by…
A Marriage of Mystery and Memory: Jarrott Productions’ “Mirror Lake” Reflects the Dark Side of Ritual
It begins deceptively simply — a minimalist stage, shadows stretching across an almost bare room, the air charged with unease. The absence of clutter sets the tone: something tense, intimate,…
From the Keys of the Culinary World to Piano Man: Mark Roaquin’s Path from NYC Dining Rooms to Austin’s Steinway
New York: Where Service Became a Craft Ask Mark what shaped him most and he’ll take you back to New York City—where hospitality is a contact sport and excellence a…
The Writer’s Job
The writer’s job is to become human through the stories he / she / they tell. It is a task not meant to transcend one’s position or thought process; it…
JANE AUSTEN: Facts are such horrid things!
Several books are being published this year to mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen, one of England’s most enduring authors. The one under review here should…
Missing Thread: Apprehension
The world premiere of Apprehension, dares to explore the slippery terrain between perception and madness. Even its title carries multiple meanings — fear, comprehension, or the act of being seized…
Alexis Buffum: The Multi-Genre Crossover Gal of Austin
When I first met violinist Alexis Buffum, she appeared calm, grounded, and quietly radiant—the kind of musician whose artistry doesn’t shout but hums with depth. Behind that calm exterior lies…