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As you may already know, I am a sincere fan of Giuseppe Festa and his band Lingalad. I've had the great fortune to write/publish about the band's Middle-earth music, hear Giuseppe play live on several occasions, and even be a part of his film on the American West, Oltre la Frontiera. I know some of you are fans of Lingalad's work, as well ( Read more... )

Hey everybody, what's the coolest thing about this year's holiday season? karmaku is getting married on Halloween day! Woohoo!!!! CONGRATULATIONS on the happy occasion!!!

So karmaku is looking for the perfect Halloween party play list. Let's help out ( Read more... )

Are you ready to get this party started? I am!

I'd like to begin by sharing some photos I took last week. The historic Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill in Kentucky is the country's largest restored Shaker community, and its gorgeous grounds had everything needed to put me in the Halloween mood. Pumpkins? Check. Cornstalks? Check. Black cat? Check ( Read more... )

I had a wonderful time at ConCarolinas. I caught up with some old friends, made some new ones, traded book recommendations, and talked Arthur Conan Doyle, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Suzanne Collins to my heart's content. At Jonah Knight's fantastic concert, I also got to hear a new track ("The First") from his next steampunk album, and it was brilliant. I ( Read more... )

Happy 450th birthday to the Bard himself, William Shakespeare!


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May you and yours enjoy the blessings of the season. Thank you for the gift of your friendship, my friends!


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Two cheers and one moment of silence...

Cheer #1. Guess who's playing for the NCAA Division II national championship this upcoming Saturday? We are! Go Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears!


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Today I have a special treat for you! My wonderful husband, Larry, is a son of the Blue Ridge Mountains, an Appalachian man, and during the Halloween season he swears by the melancholy tales of death, hauntings, and mystery told via bluegrass music (or should I say "boograss" music?). As with all of bluegrass, some of these songs trace their ( Read more... )

My heart goes out to everyone touched by the tragedy in Boston.

A few notes for today:
* My latest "Looking Back on Genre History" segment (which is the first in a multi-part exploration of Star Trek's long-term and uneasy relationship with Native America) is now up on StarShipSofa here. If you listen, I hope you enjoy ( Read more... )