Analysis and Argument, Part 2 - Entering the Conversation. Literary theorist Kenneth Burke compared scholarly writing and research to an ongoing conversation. This week, we talk about the first stage of writing a research paper, when we gather ideas and determine focus, and how that's easier to do when we read and listen to what others have to say.Photo credit: @alexisrbrown on Unsplash

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A lecture from my English 102 Analysis and Argument course about how to write a summary, based on A Brief Guide to Writing From Readings by Stephen. W. Wilhoit and They Say, I Say by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein.

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One year of podcasting! This is my first anniversary episode, and I'm devoting it entirely to the triple blades that make up Linda Hutcheon's adaptation theory: telling, showing, and interacting, or as I always say here, read, watch, and play. You'll learn why the book isn't always better than the movie and that sometimes, adaptations aren't interested in being true to "the original." I dance around the IPs of Harry Potter, Star Wars, the Lone Ranger, and the Wizard of Oz, to name just a few. 

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This may come as a surprise, but surprises aren't as big a deal to your enjoyment of a movie or book as you might think. Taking a look at our spoiler-obsessed culture through the lens of the Alien franchise of films, books, and games. 

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This week I bore you all to tears by explaining my approach to course design, using a Speculative Fiction course on aliens and dragons as a case study. 

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I thought I'd answer this perennial question for my commencement speech to our English grads this year. Bonus poetry and Terry Pratchett! 

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With a new Dungeons and Dragons movie in production, I got thinking about why movies about games often fail as adaptations, while shows like Critical Role and Harmonquest succeed. What do the streamers have that Hollywood doesn't? The answer lies in an unholy synthesis of '80s teen flicks and that D&D Saturday morning cartoon! 

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Contrary to what the madness of the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s taught me, it turns out tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons don't cause suicide, but might just be a really great prescription for robust mental health. How can a game involving mind flayers and intellect devourers do this? Jane McGonigal's book, Reality is Broken has some answers for you! 

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This week I'm contemplating the question I've been asking myself, "Should I celebrate/observe/cancel Canada Day" through the lens of Indigenous writer Richard Van Camp's brilliant short fiction. As with some of the great literary short stories, the epiphanies are left to the listener!

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Today I'm talking about the last two DCEU movies, Wonder Woman 1984 and Zack Snyder's Justice League, and how both work to give us epic meditations on loss and grief. 

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