DETAILS: This weekend, experienced a special exhibition in Padova, Italy. The pieces inside were from antiquity to our modern era. Out of the studies, started paying even more attention to John William Waterhouse and what appears to be some magical images within images. His art is impressive enough without this tantalizing additional idea.
#johnwilliamwaterhouse

DETAILS: Antici...PATION. Yeah, I know that is a mashup moment and so is this entire photo. It is the perfect image to explain this moment in storytelling. The Duffer Brothers (YouTube) have all of us so starved for monster stories, we eagerly plan out the entire holiday season around the release dates in 2025. 
#strangerthings #dufferbrothers #nostaligia #horror

DETAILS: 5 seasons of nostalgia with monsters and bicycles. I am so invested. Let the holidays begin!
#strangerthings #holidays #nostalgia

DETAILS: Recap of a visit to Palazzo Maffei Verona. Man Ray, Magritte, Picasso, and Duchamp for starters. DADA e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e. Loved this museum.
#palazzomaffei #picasso #dada #maggsvibo

DETAILS: The director, Guillermo del Toro, mentioned that he has wanted to make this film for 30 years, and it shows. Each frame is a masterpiece (Official YouTube Trailer). Shelley would no doubt be pleased/alarmed to learn the relevancy of the book in 2025. That, as readers, we are transfixed with her work and the mythological world Mary Shelley created and still see its parallels in our own era. It is telling when the young movie star, Jacob Elordi, makes news headlines for saying, "The real monsters are the men in suits." 
#frankenstein #deltorro #jacobelordi #monsters

DETAILS: A PBS documentary about Edgar Allen Poe (YouTube). This blog will always take a moment to mention Poe's writing and legacy to American folk horror genre. 
#edgarallenpoe #documentary #raven #richmond #baltimore 

DETAILS: This Song Post dedicated to all things Mary Shelley. How so? Del Toro released Frankenstein and reintroduced a whole generation to this classic tale. Listen to the lyrics of the Goldfrapp song (Official YouTube), and you will hear Shelley's myth in the lyrics. 
​#goldfrapp #feltmountain #frankenstein.

DETAILS: A recent tragedy this summer, has made me consider the legacy I leave behind. Specifically, the loss (by suicide) of a friend and fellow soldier. John leaves behind twin sons and a military spouse. His wife explained, "In a heated moment he made a decision that can't be undone." Those words. This moment. As a nation, we are broken. My sentences are broken. My thoughts...fragmented. I spoke to my mental health doctor at length and figured out: 

1. The miscarriages my spouse and I experienced still impact me (probably always will).
2. I really believed that raising children was a super power against suicide or social challenges. John's death proved this to be false.
3. More military friends need to discuss and share our life stories.

Now, that's where this book boost comes into play. Matthew James Jones and I know of one another through our military service connections. We've both been involved for (cough) years in military writing adjacent activities/groups. This blog post is a signal boost for his book. Jones offers lots of tips or hacks for navigating our huge military community (even while many groups are being erased by a concerted exclusionary effort to rewrite history). You can follow Jones on social media platforms and listen to his guest spots on podcasts. I hit pause on one podcast with Jones so that I could write this blog while his conversation is fresh in my mind. Matthew discusses with the host, Jason McClaren, the loss of military friends to suicide. Have a listen here: YouTube. Jones discusses ethics in this clip, which is why you will want to have a listen during this time of political turmoil. Jones gets bleeped for his colorful vocabulary. BLEEP that! We are in a moment where the commander of our Armed Forces is calling for the hanging of his political rivals. This moment is not normal and the quicker all of us step out of shock, the faster we can react political turmoil. When we study the Milgram Experiments, we can predict where this goes. We know the history, even as it is changes in real time. History is written by the victors, so as AI and DEI sweep and flush reality into the garbage, what we know as "factual" into the future is tenuous.
2 + 2 = 1984
Take a moment to follow this bestselling author and boost his work:
KINDLE: Predators, Reapers and Deadlier Creatures - Kindle edition by Jones, Matthew. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
PAPERBACK: Amazon.com: Predators, Reapers and Deadlier Creatures: 9781998501120: Jones, Matthew James: Books
​Website: Matthew Jones
​#milgramexperiments #matthewjamesjones #suicide #milfamilies #drones #ethics #monsters #mattjones #matthewjones

DETAILS: Now is the time to consider the prompt for submission for Maintenant 20 (published by Three Rooms Press). The editors, Kat Georges and Peter Carlaftes have announced the theme for the 2026 issue is: IMPROPERGANDA. Submission period begins January 1, 2026 and runs through March 15, 2026. You will need to use SUBMITTABLE and check out all the details for information on this provocative title. LINK: MAINTENANT 20 Dada Journal: New Theme and Submission Period Announced - Three Rooms Press
​#dada #writing #threeroomspress #katgeorges #petercarlaftes #mainteantjournal

DETAILS: Special thanks to the SFPA for their member newsletter boost of "Cryptids, Kaiju and Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories About Modern Midwest Monsters (Middle West Press, Randy Brown ed, 2025). To get your copy: Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories about Modern Midwest Monsters (English Edition) eBook : Brown, Randy: Amazon.it: Kindle Store
#randybrown #maggsvibo #speculativescifi #anthology 

#randybrown #charlie sherpa #maggsvibo
DETAILS: Photos from the Mayhempalooza Event organized by EIC Randy Brown and hosted by Mayhem Comics and Games. Thank you, for sharing our stories with the comminity.

DETAILS: Once again this semester, my published work is being studied by Graduate students in the syllabi for Advanced English courses taught at Paris College of Art, Sciences Po, and L'École Militaire. Special appreciation and thanks to the Creative Writing Professor, Malik Ameer Crumpler for inclusion into the FALL 2024–2026 curricula. Additional instruction this semester includes a talk on 'Artists in Exile' which should provide a good feedback loop for the students at the war college. MTF To download the syllabus, click the link: 
#sciencespo #malikameercrumpler #paris #creativewriting #advancedenglish #pariscollegeofart #ecolemilitaire #maggsvibo