John Dos Passos and Democracy
“War is a time of Caesars,” wrote John Dos Passos in The Grand Design (1949). As I study biographical material for my Lisbon speech, I’m noticing material I can use […]
Carl Sandburg and John Dos Passos
It has long fascinated me that Carl Sandburg was one of the writers who nominated John Dos Passos for election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1947. […]
H.G. Wells and John Dos Passos
Interesting discovery for me. In fall 1941, John Dos Passos met fellow writer H.G. Wells in London at the PEN Club congress. Dos Passos then visited with Wells as his […]
Edward Scissorhands Essay
Still wrangling this essay on Danny Elfman’s classic score to Edward Scissorhands to the finish line. Hard to settle into the music writing groove after being in the sports writing […]
The Lawton Chiles Campaign Method
Rummaging through old files and came across an article in the Lakeland Ledger from 1975 describing a Lawton Chiles campaign kickoff at Bartow Civic Center. Featured at the kick off […]
Florida Gov. Rick Scott Should Partner with Parkland Teens
The Palm Beach Post published my editorial on how Gov. Scott should stand up for Parkland teens and partner with them to move gun reform forward. He can take a […]
Lessons for Writers: James Cameron’s Film, Aliens (1986)
Consider the Ripley Elevator Scene from Aliens. Rewatching the movie recently and this scene stuck with me. It’s the kind of scene missing from bad action movies. Think about it. […]
Lessons for Writers: Dialogue Makes Characters
Lessons for Writers: In the movie Back to the Future (1985), Doc says the phrase “If my calculations are correct” in reference to his time travel theory. In Iron Man […]
New Film Score Essay: Star Wars — A New Hope
Presenting my next film score essay–Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. There are fewer film music composers finer than John Williams. This material was originally researched with the idea […]
Call of Duty: WWII: The Score
I’m spinning Call of Duty: WWII on iTunes, composed by Wilbert Roget II. This is giving me chills! Damn, so poignant and cutting. At first listen, it reminds me of […]