America's Most Critical Journal since 1999
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 »
One of the most infamous tragedies at sea, the sinking of the Titanic which took 1,517 lives, turns one-hundred this year. Since her sinking, the Titanic has inspired films, countless voyages to the bottom of the Atlantic, exhibits, and thousands of Titanic fa... More »
This 1st of April you might be told about an unexpected exam, social engagement or work deadline which is fast approaching. Perhaps, you’ll chance upon a blatantly satirical article masquerading as real news in the paper or online. Your friend might announce... More »
By Michael Saul I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by Twitter. And now it has taken the world with it. There’s no point recounting how the aforementioned social media networks doomed the earth to imminent annihilation. But as we bid farewell to ... More »