Misc. links and personal entries.

• My New Weblog: "The Popular Uncanny" - I'm building a new weblog called THE POPULAR UNCANNY. It's a supplement of sorts for my upcoming non-fiction title from Guide Dog Books by the same name. The book is a critical study of theories of the Uncanny/"das Unheimliche" as they appear in advertising, film, bestsellers, and online. Chapters include... (16:49 | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments)

• Ghoulish Goals: Pittsburgh Professional Magazine Feature - I'm humbled to be featured in the June issue of Pittsburgh Professional Magazine, and they've kindly given me permission to post a .pdf of the article on my horror website. To check it out, visit: "Ghoulish Goals: Seton Hill writing professor keeps collecting awards for his horror fiction" by... (12:20 | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments)

• Who's No Longer Who Among American Teachers - I received a message recently from a teacher who hadn't received her order from Who's Who Among America's Teachers, and wondered if I knew how to help. I did a quick search and discovered that ECI -- Educational Communications, Inc. -- ceased all operations in 2007! This came as a... (13:10 | 0 Trackbacks | 2 Comments)

• Professors Strike Back - And...scene! I'm back. Have been returned to campus after sabbatical, actually, for about six months so far -- I just haven't been blogging, and I apologize, but I've been rather busy. I will likely talk more about sabbatical and such later on. But for now, here's something fun that I... (15:41 | 0 Trackbacks | 2 Comments)

• On Sabbatical - I am going on sabbatical for the full 2006-7 academic year, in order to secure time to develop my next novel. While I intend to keep researching and reflecting on teaching during that time, I've decided to put Pedablogue on hiatus until August 2007, when I return to full-time teaching.... (09:17 | 0 Trackbacks | 10 Comments)

• Seton Hill Blogoversity - The Christmas issue of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an excellent, front-page feature story on educational blogging, called "Freedom of Speech Redefined by Blogs". Featured prominently is our college's New Media Journalism program, led by my colleague, Dennis Jerz. It's really a great -- and quite accurate -- piece.... (20:18 | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments)

• An Immodest Call for Papers (On Arnzen & Horror) - [I will be in attendance as respondent to this panel, so I thought I'd help Dr. Sandner get the word out by posting his Call for Papers here...] Call for Papers: Paper Session: “Michael Arnzen: New Directions in Horror” The 27th International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts, Ft.... (21:21 | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments)

• Play Dead: My New Horror Novel -    Forgive the intrusion, but I just have to share my excitement: my second horror novel, Play Dead, is now shipping! The first draft of this book served as my Master's Thesis at the University of Idaho, but I have to warn you this book is, as Cemetery Dance... (12:32 | 0 Trackbacks | 2 Comments)

• Bram Stoker Award Finalist - Forgive the annoying pause to brag a little, but I've been smiling since Sunday, when I learned my short story collection, 100 Jolts: Shockingly Short Stories, is on the final ballot for the Bram Stoker Award for Outstanding Achievement in a Fiction Collection. The Bram Stoker Awards -- arguably... (22:52 | 0 Trackbacks | 8 Comments)

• Taxes for Teachers - I just received the local tax forms in the mail -- something that always gives me an unwelcome wake-up call -- an uncomfortable reminder that there's extra work to be done. And math's involved! I'm a little ahead of the game this year, if only because I got TaxCut for... (13:42 | 0 Trackbacks | 1 Comments)

• Susan Sontag Dies - As though an aftershock of that horrifying tsunami that hit Asia yesterday, another great thinker has died today: Susan Sontag. Her work on photography, illness, and camp deserve to be remembered. Particularly "Illness as Metaphor" -- a book that really helped me to think allegorically about what I do from... (23:16 | 0 Trackbacks | 1 Comments)

• Quotable Quotes on Education - This evening I jazzed up the site a bit by adding a small handful of pithy quotes to the ever-present sidebar of various pages in the archives. In my hunt for pith, I came across many more aphorisms than I could ever hope to use on Pedablogue, so I thought... (02:10 | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments)

• Left Behind - This collage appears in Eye Contact, the literary magazine I advise at Seton Hill University where I teach. The theme for this particular issue of the magazine was "truth." I clipped words and phrases out of Weekly World News to create this piece. When I began, I thought I'd... (19:42 | 0 Trackbacks | 1 Comments)

• Best Commencement Address of the Year - "We declared war on terror. We declared war on terror—it’s not even a noun, so, good luck. After we defeat it, I’m sure we’ll take on that bastard ennui." -- John Stewart's commencement address at William & Mary College *** Congratulations to all the graduates.... (16:36 | 0 Trackbacks | 4 Comments)

• Presidential Politics - Want to know where the presidential candidates stand on education issues? Compare them: John Kerry | George Bush | Ralph Nader You can also compare candidates on the issues across the board from the 2000 election. You can also read the political party platforms in an earlier pedablogue post.... (13:45 | 0 Trackbacks | 1 Comments)

• One Worth Clicking - Grading like mad as the end of the year approaches? Lighten up for a moment and take a look at Randy Glasbergen's education cartoons for teachers. Some of these really hit the nail on the head. Like the one where a teacher speaks to the confused child who stands at... (21:27 | 0 Trackbacks | 0 Comments)

• Primetime Cheating - TV probably worth watching: Primetime Thursday (news program) on ABC Thursday, April 29 at 10 p.m. ET "Charles Gibson investigates the cheating crisis in America's schools — from plagiarism to high-tech gadgets, students are using old methods and new technology to beat the system. " == UPDATE: I just learned... (23:44 | 0 Trackbacks | 2 Comments)