America's Most Critical Journal since 1999
By Marvin R. Hiemstra BOO BABY started to roll with everyone running to the other end of Tahoe beach for a better look at that American eagle flying a fresh snake to her baby. No one had ever dreamed a monster SUV would end it all. BOO shot straight for the ... More »
Many modern health fads are all about having your cake and eating it too; but a new coterie of health experts are forging ahead with what is being called the “self-punishment movement” – a set of extreme diet, exercise, and meditation practices designed ... More »
By Dan Geddes If the recent leaks about the NSA’s surveillance of all worldwide electronic communications have left you upset or confused, then you may be experiencing one of the five stages of NSA surveillance grief. Much like Kuebler-Ross’ Five ... More »
By Walter Bowne Dear Directors of Language Arts: I’m writing to inform you of the exciting titles on tap at Boontown Books for 2013! Are your teachers and students tired of the same old language arts curriculum? The Outsiders? To Kill a Mockingbird? Diary of... More »
by Kurt Degerstrom Right-wing “King James Only” adherents, who claim their namesake is the only pure and perfect version of the Bible, have a new opponent this week: software engineer Marty Blackhouse. Blackhouse, who began retranslating the Bible from anc... More »
Dr. Madrid at the Peoria Institute of Medical Research, PIMR, today announced the discovery of a new syndrome afflicting writers. Authors, probably because of their solitary nature, sedentary habits, and infrequent bathing are known to be susceptible to anothe... More »
By Barry Sierer At the most recent convention of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), all of the attendees were asked to fill out a short survey. This is a common practice at these conventions but the subject matter surprised many ... More »
By David Alpaugh Millions of contemporary readers are ignoring great books, turned off by titles that strike them as inaccessible, politically incorrect, or hopelessly retro. The classics can remain relevant to the Facebook generation—but only if editors mus... More »
By Walter Bowne Please have a seat, Jason. So why do you want to come to Princeton? The campus is just stunning. It resembles Hogwarts. When I was an adolescent, I remember seeing my feminine sibling crying when she got discarded. My mom was so thwarted. O... More »
By Peter Conroy Justice Antonin Scalia US Supreme Court Washington, DC December 2012 Dear Justice Scalia, I am writing you because of a disturbing experience I had last week. You are uniquely qualified to appreciate my dilemma and to give me advice about it. L... More »
Fullest Theological Seminary student Craig Lee was expelled last week for what the school has described as a “highly unorthodox application and interpretation” of their teachings. Lee told one of his professors, as well as fellow students, how he had “gi... More »
Welcome to Gristle and Grain, the literary journal dedicated to publishing the best short stories and poetry of all time. Why “Gristle”? Why “Grain”? Because too many magazines today offer up a plate of hominy—lathered in butter, laced in Seconal, an... More »