A Flawed Film, Not an Invalid Supergirl Yesterday, I saw and enjoyed Supergirl. I didn’t love it and saw its flaws clearly, but I remain baffled by the hostility it has generated among some comic fans and the easy dismissal it has received from mainstream critics. On paper, the film had all the right credentials […]
I make no secret about how much I enjoy attending Shore Leave, a convention I have been attending since its third show lo so many years ago. I’m back, along with scads of authors, artists, scientists, and media guests. It’s a robust and diverse lineup. As usual, I will be on panels, moderate several media […]
Today, the academic year draws to a close and with it, a chapter of my career. In 2011, when my attempt to become a full-time freelance writer proved challenging, it was time for another chapter. Throughout my editorial career, people said I had a good way with talent and employees and that I should consider […]
I have no idea why I found myself watching The Newlywed Game. The series debuted on July 11, 1966, on ABC’s daytime schedule, and somewhere along the way, I began watching it. I was not quite eight when it first aired, and had to be older by the time I found it. Back in the […]
My mother didn’t watch soap operas, so I don’t know when I was first exposed to them. They have been a part of American culture since October 20, 1930, when WGN in Chicago debuted Painted Dreams. The serialized drama was aimed at its female audience, since most women stayed home and listened to the radio […]
When Asaad fell in Syria in December 2024, it began the mental wheels spinning. Apparently, it happened so quickly that no one was prepared for the aftermath. What was expected to take months took days. Not for the first time, I found myself thinking about what happens after the uprising. Surely, there is no “they […]
I didn’t get anywhere near as much written in 2025 as I normally do. Part of it was the lack of opportunity, and part of it was that I prioritized other things over the writing. I mentioned my original fantasy novel, and I need to stress that I am giving it time to do it […]
As much of the country digs itself out of the storm, plans are being hastily rearranged from mundane household matters to major school decisions. We were closed Monday and Tuesday and are thankfully back in action today. We weathered the event just fine, thanks. As a result, I am mostly packed and ready to return […]
I’m seven years old, in first grade, and my dad showed me an item in the New York Post (back in those days, it was a respected tabloid) that Batman was coming to television. I remember being so excited about this that I blurted it out in class, interrupting whatever math my teacher was trying […]
All told, 2025 was a pretty good year. Not the best, far from the worst. It was the usual hectic mix of activities and travel, work and writing, and family and friends. Of the latter, the loss of my dear friend Peter David loomed large all year. We got a heads-up just days before he […]