Call for Papers: Characters of ‘The Walking Dead’
In 2014 the Characters of The Walking Dead book project began. The co-editors received several submissions, but the project encountered difficulties. A new co-editor has joined the project, and we are now issuing a new call for papers in the hopes of receiving additional submissions to fill in the blanks in character treatment. Of particular […]
Titles of Interest – Fairy-Tale Films Beyond Disney
Fairy-Tale Films Beyond Disney International Perspectives Edited by Jack Zipes, Pauline Greenhill, Kendra Magnus-Johnston (Routledge, 2016) The fairy tale has become one of the dominant cultural forms and genres internationally, thanks in large part to its many manifestations on screen. Yet the history and relevance of the fairy-tale film have largely been neglected. In this […]
New essay on the crystal skulls
I first heard the story of the mysterious crystal skulls when I was a kid in the 1970s through the television program In Search Of… Joseph Laycock has written an essay on them for Material Religion: The Journal of Objects, Art and Belief, Volume 11, Issue 2 (2015) titled “The controversial history of the crystal […]
Midnight Syndicate releases new album “Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering”
I am pleased to announce the release of a new album by Midnight Syndicate. It is titled “Christmas: A Ghostly Gathering.” From their press release: “The new album features the band’s unique twist on classic holiday carols blended with new and original material. ‘Our goal was to treat each song in a way that would […]
Religious tensions expressed again in The Strain
I’m a little behind on watching episodes of The Strain, but one which aired a couple of weeks ago caught my attention because of the conflicting ways in which it portrayed Christianity. Previously I’ve commented on the way the series engages the Christian faith, particularly in its Roman Catholic expression. This is due to Guillermo […]
Call for Papers: Reframing Science Fiction
Call for Papers – Reframing Science Fiction: A One Day Conference on the Art of Science Fiction 21 March 2016 Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, Kent, CT1 1QU Keynote speakers: Dr Jeannette Baxter (Anglia Ruskin University) and Dr Paul March-Russell (University of Kent) From William Blake and John Martin to Glenn Brown and The Otolith […]
New Volume: The X-Files FAQ
John Kenneth Muir is a prolific author and commentator on genre related entertainment. He is also a personal friend and collaborator in various book projects. I am pleased to promote his new book The X-Files FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About Global Conspiracy, Aliens, Lazarus Species, and Monsters of the Week (FAQ Series) (Applause […]
Strange Dimensions featuring interview with David Hufford on sleep paralysis
I am pleased to recommend Strange Dimensions: A Paranthropology Anthology edited by Jack Hunter. This volume is a celebration of four years of the Paranthropology Journal, and collects together 16 of the best articles from the last two years (the first two years were covered in Paranthropology: Anthropological Approaches to the Paranormal, published in 2012). […]
Artificial intelligence and religion
There has been a good bit of discussion lately on artificial intelligence in connection with religiosity. The Daily Mail has a piece titled “Will artificial intelligence be religious? Researchers say robots could someday be converted to a faith.” This includes positive and negative aspects. On the latter, the piece states If artificially intelligent robots could […]
