It's time for my annual navel-gazing post, in which I take stock of the year beyond my university teaching for my own information/edification.

So here's my reading, podcasting, and published work this year.


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I'm back from an action-packed Worldcon, just in time for the start of a new semester!

My stand-alone academic presentation from the con, "His Fordship in the Capitol and Big Brother in the Districts: How The Hunger Games' World of Tomorrow Builds on SF's Classic Past," is now available for free on the latest episode of StarShipSofa. If you ( Read more... )

I'll shortly be on my way to MidAmeriCon II/the 74th World Science Fiction Convention. If you're attending, I hope you'll say hello!

Below is my schedule. I'm delighted and privileged to be on panels with some stellar folks in the SF community. Each event title links to its official description and list of participants.


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Recently I was invited to share thoughts related both to Harry Potter and to my essay "His Fordship in the Capitol and Big Brother in the Districts: The Hunger Games and the Modern Dystopian Tradition" in an extended interview on MuggleNet Academia with hosts Keith Hawk and the Hogwarts Professor himself, John Granger, as well as the editor of ( Read more... )

Hello, everyone! Happy Friday!

* I'm delighted to be part of the ensemble cast who narrated the amazing "The Four Generations of Chang E" by Zen Cho for the latest episode of The Drabblecast. If you listen, I hope you enjoy!


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It's time for my year-end review post.

Apologies for being quiet of late. I've been dealing with both shingles and sinus-related nastiness for which surgery looms in 2016. Ick. I do hope your holiday season has been more enjoyable!

But back to taking stock of 2015...


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The first episode of The Hunger Games: The Biggest Fan Awards is here, and I'm delighted to say that I am one of the judges for this new web series. Please watch, share, and vote online for your favorite contestant. Viewers decide the winner.

If you know of any Hunger Games fans who would like to compete in one of the next episodes (tweens, teens ( Read more... )

Wow! The first weekend of my two-weekend "The Dystopian Tradition: What Worlds Gone Wrong Can Teach Us" event was spectacular, with amazing students and fascinating discussions. I'm very much looking forward to the second half of the event. Thanks to everyone who participated ( Read more... )

Of possible interest!

* Critical Insights: The Hunger Games is a volume in a Grey House literature reference series. The target audience is undergraduate and advanced high school students seeking deeper insight into the primary work(s) and literary study in general. The essays will be divided into two sections: Critical Contexts, consisting of ( Read more... )

I've committed another made-for-YouTube video.

My others are as follows:
* Is Katniss a Modern-Day Spartacus?
* Forgotten Rebellion: Black Seminoles and the Largest Slave Revolt in U.S. History
* The Expulsion of the Acadians
* Andrew Jackson: The First Imperial President
* The Trail of Tears: They Knew It Was Wrong
* Protest against the Trail ( Read more... )