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We have a new literary series at The Red Door!

By michele on February 23, 2009 | Add a Comment

I can't contain my excitement over our brand spankin' new literary series that we're launching this week. Martini bars and writers go together very well, and that's why we've partnered up with  The Red Door in downtown Portsmouth.  We'll be hosting a bunch of innovative, talented contemporary authors at The Red Door on an ongoing basis, and we're kicking it off on Tuesday, February 24th at 7pm with comic novelist G. Xavier Robillard.  He'll be reading from Captain Freedom, a novel that is praised by RiverRun staff favorite Christopher Moore as ""a truly funny and energetic romp of a social satire, a terrific send up of not only of superheroes, but the cult of personality in general."

The Bleak Midwinter

By tom on February 19, 2009 | 1 comments

This is a good time of year to pick up a book about a far away land.  Or, a nice big think novel that you can really get lost in (and use for kindling if the electricity goes out again).  One of my favorites from last year that fits in both  categories is called Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra.  It's about 900 pages, and is all about modern day India.  Almost all of the Indian novels I'd read to date were set sometime in the past, often around 1947 when the country became independent (Midnight's Children is a phenomenal example of this).  Sacred Games takes place now, and it is a crazy swirl of religion, crime, pop music, history, terrorism, and romance.  The plots are meandering and only twine together far into the novel, but that's half the fun.

The Kids Heart Authors day was a tremendous amount of fun. With 30 kids in attendence and 25 adults, the authors took turns presenting their books while kids sat and listened (captivated) or worked on books of their own at the craft table. Our eight authors came with all sorts of unique talents. 

Media in one form or another, has existed for as far back as we can tell.  The need to share ideas or create meanings has shaped our societies, political systems and how we percieve the world.  In this blog, feel free to openly explore any of these questions or your thoughts and concerns about the topic.   

How does media reinforce or counter dogma?

How does our choice of media (liberal, conservative, green, democrat, anarchist, libertarian, republican, moderate, etc) reinforce our view of the world? Can this range of views promote diversity and a wide range of choices?  How does locking into one kind of perspective hinder open dialogue (the Socratic Method)? How does it maintain it?

What is a meme and how does that relate to the conversation of media? 

How much of the media we consume is a reflection of our state of mind?  

What does it mean to hide behind media?  Why hide?

Faster, Pussycat! Read! Read!

By liberty on January 31, 2009 | Add a Comment

Liberty, at age 3, crushed by "Disney's Big Book of Villains."Today is the best day of my life. I have this lovely, snowy day off and I'm spending it curled up in a chair with my cat and a book, drinking hot chocolate. I have started reading "The Magus," the 1962 classic by John Fowles, and it really is incredible, simply wonderful. Not like some classics, which you read and then think, "That was dull. Why exactly is it a classic?" "The Magus" is so delicious, I may eat it.