I just published my first ebook for the Amazon Kindle and Kindle readers (available for Windows OS and soon for Mac OS X)! It is called, Outside the Norm: Prose, Notes, and Poetry of a Cultural Deserter

Enjoy the frightfully engaging short stories, personal reflections, and fun, contemporary poetry of the late, fictitious Matthew Poe as collected and published by Mike Piero. Read gothic tales of murder, cults, a descent into Hades, and more. There is magnificent “play” between the prose and poetry, which makes this book such an engrossing read. With five amazing short stories, as diverse as they are realistic, and a dozen poems, this collection is well worth its price. Framed as the posthumously published works of a Matthew Poe, Mike Piero weaves a biographical tapestry of a man who lived outside the norm of modern culture.

The book is only $5.99 and is well worth the price! Check it out on Amazon through the link above!

Cheers!

Mike

As I told my students last Wednesday, when Steve Jobs announced the newest addition to the Mac family - the iPad, I was extremely excited! I was hoping (with some assurance) that Apple would not release a tablet like the other ones out on the market or, god forbid, a netbook! I am very impressed with what they are doing with the iPad, yet not entirely without a few reservations:


1. Perhaps the most insignificant complaint about the iPad is the flash drive sizes, which come in 16, 32, or 64GB, which isn’t too bad. But, if I’m going to spend $500 on a computer (and, by the way, that is a fantastic price!), then I think I’ll wait until the 2011 model and hope that they double them all. They flash and SSD technology is available.


2. A bit more serious here - I’m very curious to see how the new Apple A4 processing chip works out. It sounds great, but Apple hasn’t made a chip in a long time, and frankly, the only Power PC chips were pretty awful! So, I’m guessing that they’ve refined their chip technology since they switched all their products to Intel chips, but I’d like to wait and see first.


3. The other very troubling thing is that Safari on the iPad does not support Flash, which is a consistent problem on Apple’s iPhone. How can Apple claim to have the greatest Internet experience with the iPad without supporting Flash - which constitutes the majority of online video content and a whole range of interactive websites? It’s kind of ridiculous. I would recommend writing Apple through their Feedback page, as I have, and let them know: “We want Flash on the iPad! Even if it means decreased battery life, that’s okay. That should be our choice - not Apple’s!”


Aside from these three criticisms, I am in love with the iPad. It is a gorgeous device and I’m sure “it just works” (unless you’re trying to view flash content). I hope they make the above changes for the second version. I’ll be first in line to get one.

This blog embodies an outrage that I had a few years ago during a News Writing class that I took. The following is exactly what I wrote in my notebook during class as we were having a discussion about current events; in particular, the post-9/11 Iraq War (because this isn’t the first time we’ve intervened in this country). This is a fine example of the way that the classroom can turn into an arm of the American propaganda machine. Schools should be in the business of developing critical thinking and analytical skills - not just acquiescing to authority when it is demanded, like in the case of a war. It is during these critical junctures that the populace needs the ability to think and examine the world with a critical eye the most. Ask yourself: What role did higher education play this day?

“Today in my Newswriting class, I was taught that news reporters report the news without bias or opinion. When I questioned her, I was made to look like I was confusing the difference between news and editorials, which was not the case at all. According to my professor, all news articles are non-biased and neutral. Nothing could be further from the truth. News, like history, is biased based on many factors including not just what is said, but namely what is omitted. By not covering a certain topic or burying it on the 15th page, an editor is expressing his or her opinion of how important that article is. Not to mention the language that these neutral articles usually employ - filled with opinion, agenda, and subtle connotations. This is very obvious on all of the television news programs, but this is also very present in print media as well - it’s just harder to detect.
Later – while engaged in political discussion – a student said that he had a lot of respect for the people of the U.S. that set aide their differences to “back the President, the troops, and get behind the war” and that it was very “American”. The teacher added more along those lines, as I sat there dumbfounded at what I was hearing. Not only was this a depiction of the cancer of propaganda in this country, but it is also mind-blowing that no one seemed bothered by it. The fact that people can’t see the link between the American Flag/Americanism and the manufacturing of consent is utterly amazing to me. Terms like “American” and “Un-american” as they are commonly used are phrases, incidentally, that show up only in totalitarian states that employ massive propaganda tools. The fact that these things are not known to most people is a testament in and of itself to the falsity of the first statement above – that is – that the media reports the news in an unbiased fashion. The opposite is, obviously, much closer to the truth.”

Terrorism, Jihad, And The Bible by John MacArthur Jr.

My review

rating: 1 of 5 stars
This is an excellent example of the superiority complex that has been embedded in the American press and media for years, only to be intensified by the attacks of September 11, 2001. This book not only misrepresents Islam and the Koran by quoting only verses that support their claims, it works hard to relieve America of any and all responsibility for any of its actions in the Middle East over the past 30 years. By making everything into a religious battle, the author proposes that our efforts of peaceful negotiations are futile. It’s staggering how MacArthur criticizes Islam for the exact same things that he praises and justifies about Christianity. His sources are flimsy, at best - usually from newspapers instead of primary sources.




As a Christian, I am ashamed that this book is supposed to represent Christan values. Like most books of its kind, it looks at the spec in another’s eye, while ignoring the log in our own eye. What about the terrorism that the U.S. wages on other countries and territories? Oh, I forgot - we don’t call it that. We call it low intensity warfare or even counter-terrorism. We should take a long, critical look at our own actions before openly criticizing everyone else. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to look at our nation’s foreign policy and how it might incite people in the Middle East to hatred; namely our blocking of democratic reform in the region and our occupation of numerous holy sites.



This book asks all the wrong questions and provides wrong answers to all of the right ones. It is a stunning work of American propaganda at its best. I would recommend reading a book by Noam Chomsky on U.S. foreign policy, which might offer my “patriotic” neighbors another point of view about our role in the world.



This is nothing more but a pro-war, anti-Islamic version of Mein Kampf in this observer’s opinion. The sad thing is that it is done in the name of God, just like the terrible things that the book criticizes (and rightfully so).



View all my reviews.

What is the price of achieving our dreams?

I am convinced that we have each been put on this earth for not only a certain reason but with a particular purpose. This purpose manifests itself in many ways in our lives; oftentimes as dreams or longings in our childhood and young adulthood. At what age does the so-called realism sweep in to rob us of our dreams, of our Personal Legend as Paulo Coelho has called it? How long can we resist the temptation to give up on that which is difficult and take the easier road?

Recently, I was at a crossroads and was forced to decide which path I was meant to take. Much like the traveller in Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken, I knew that this decision would have an impact on the rest of my life, whether it be positive or negative. The real decision, however, was whether or not I would pay the price to pursue my dreams or take the other road that was more comfortable and familiar. It was by no means an easy decision.

It takes much courage to pay the price to chase one’s dreams; namely because so many people around will cast judgments and pour out cold sentiments to try and quench the fires of youthful longing. Because these many have given up on their own desires and harbor some guilt about abandoning their own Personal Legends, they have nothing more than contempt and jealousy at seeing others pursuing something greater than the status quo.

In the past, these people would anger me, but no more. I find myself pitying them and wishing for a change in their being. I am being true to myself and no man can take that peace away from me. I have paid a price to pursue my dreams and it has often included a certain humiliation and wounded pride. I am still pursuing, not even sure what my reward will be at the end of the journey. Will it be happiness? Relief? Another goal?

At times, I have desired to give up and end the journey. I could take a comfortable job somewhere and save money to get a house and family and pets. Although that may be someone else’s dream, it is not mine. My Personal Legend goes beyond that. It is a matter of personal edification and achievement, and I must not quit. A warrior of truth must first be true to himself, despite what others say and think. Even those closest to him cannot deter him from this acquisition of truth.

Heed these words, young people, and follow your dreams. Do not give up on them for familiarity and a comfort zone, lest you spend the ret of your days waking at night from dreams of what you might have been.

I must admit that finishing a new short story, or any piece of writing for that matter, is a joyous occasion for me. It’s not until I have the pice fully revised and edited that I feel my full happiness return to me. I look forward to printing out that final copy and handing it to my wife to read. That moment is when my burden is truly lifted from my shoulders. Who knew twenty pages of paper filled with some melted toner could weigh so much?

I have many projects that I’m working on and even more floating around in my mind. As I sit on my couch, typing this blog entry, I listen to the children playing in the woods across the street - yelling, shouting, and laughing. They play their games without a care in the world. If they accomplish nothing today, they will not feel sad or guilty. Unlike me so often, and most, they live in the moment. Their happiness is not at all determined by their productivity. I like to listen to the children play.

But, my mind begins to think again about my next project. With those thoughts comes the burden of doing, of writing. It is not always a bad thing, for it gives me a goal, a purpose, to work towards. If I can affect just one person in a deep way with my combination of words and punctuation, then it has all been worth it. That is the magic of writing, and it is indeed that magic that brings joy to me when finishing a new short story.

The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Although I enjoyed this book, I couldn’t help but feel that it got a little “preachy” at the end with the revelation of the conspiracy concerning Jesus Christ and the early Church. Yes, I know it’s a fictional novel, but there was a section between chapters 67-70 with just pages and pages of straight dialogue in which the anti-christian, anti-Bible theory was presented. Unlike in The Da Vinci Code, where Robert Langdon helped to balance Teabings radical views to a certain extent, Tess was vitually in total concurrence with Vance about the historical accuracy of the religious views set forth.

I just felt that the dialogue in that section reached a certain point where it was no longer as conducive to the actual plot as it was merely an exercise of perhaps the author’s beliefs on religion and whatnot. I could be wrong, but it just seemed that way as I was reading it.

Overall, it was a fascinating read with one of the most engaging opening scenes that I’ve read in a long time. It also had good action up through the very last chapters of the book.

View all my reviews.

There is much debate between educators as to how and when the mechanics of language should be taught. Some have altogether abandoned teaching grammar in the higher grades, having forgotten that it is absolutely necessary to teach it in a meaning-centered way. Grammar needs to be revitalized in the classroom through lesson plans that connect with the students. Grammar needs to be taught in the context of a student’s own writing, and it must be done in an engaging way that gets that student thinking both critically and metacognitively.




According to the article, “Why Teachers Continue to Teach Grammar,” one reason why teachers still teach grammar is because they “believe that grammar is valuable when it is applied to writing” (25). Grammar lessons should not be taught separate from reading and writing. The three go together. The class discussion confirmed this, as it was realized that one of the best times to teach grammar lessons (or mini-lessons) is just before or after a writing assignment. This is oftentimes when the real needs of the students are exposed. We need to “teach what our students’ writing suggests they need most” (Weaver “Grammar Plan” 60) when it comes to actually helping students with their grammar and editing.

Grammar instruction should be done to fit the needs of the students in the class. It should not be taught in a dry, formulated way. It is important in grading formal papers (persuasion, research, etc.) to mark everything that is wrong or that could be improved, but it cannot stop there. Students deserve more than that. If there is an area where more than a few of the students are struggling in, then a dynamic, engaging mini-lesson is probably in order. If, on the other hand, the error is proprietary to maybe one or two students (since they all are at different writing levels), then conferencing with them or simply writing a note on the paper about the issue can work wonders. Grammar is not the end, in and of itself. It is the means by which these students can grow as writers. It is the way in which their ideas and thoughts can be understood and respected by the world around them. This gives grammar instruction an important function:  “We must teach grammar wisely in order to enable our students to communicate effectively in the world they live in (which in many cases is a different world from the one in which we grew up)” (Martinsen 6). Teaching grammar with this purpose in mind helps to boost student interest and understanding. This is done mainly through teaching the mechanics of language as it relates to their writing:  “What all students need, however, is guidance in understanding and applying those aspects of grammar that are most relevant to writing” (Weaver “Teaching Grammar” 16). One approach (as discussed in class) to teaching grammar in an effective way is to not merely use boring, cookie-cutter handouts that have rules and examples. Instead, the teacher must create dynamic mini-lessons to engage student interest and get them using their grammar skills in their own writing. In this way, they will get to see how these grammar rules actually get to work in their own writing, which in turn will boost retention. Do not isolate grammar from writing, because that is exactly what makes it boring.

On top of teaching the mechanics of grammar, it is also important to make sure that students are proficient in other areas of writing. The format of the paper, how it is organized, and its fluency are all important aspects of the paper that need to be evaluated not only by the teacher, but by the students as well. The instructor needs to get the students thinking metacognitively about how they are writing. One way to do this is to have the students read and critique each other’s papers, as recommended in Harold Foster’s Crossing Over (198). Students are given a rubric, which they will use to evaluate the work of their fellow peers. It helps both parties involved. The editor gets good practice in refining his or her proofreading skills, and the writer gets positive and constructive feedback, which gets him or her thinking about how to improve the paper. Build a culture in the classroom that embraces the idea that “good writing often reflects good rewriting” (Vacca 98). It is important to note that this is only to be used on formal papers, and it is imperative to let the students know beforehand about this activity. Students should not have to be afraid that their peers are going to be reading their personal journal entries.
We cannot throw out grammar instruction altogether, but it must be taught in a student-centered way. Students need to be engaged and eager to learn because they realize that it serves a purpose in them becoming better writers. Effective grammar use is never going to be the most entertaining skill to taught, but it can be enjoyable. This happens by teachers creating lesson plans that merge grammar instruction with the students’ writings. Grammar and writing skills must be taught in the context of writing; otherwise, it will not mean much to them, and retention will suffer.

How come there aren’t any black urinals? They wouldn’t get nearly as dirty, right?

The quality of a society can be gauged by observing its teachers.

Don’t you love seeing people driving full-size SUVs dropping off their recycling at those bins?

True brilliance lies in one’s willingness to be different and lonely.

The name of my autobiography would be The Life of an Iconoclast. Subtitle: A Tragedy

Recently, I have been submitting two of my short stories and a batch of poetry to many magazines and journals for publication. Submitting one’s writing can be one of the toughest parts of being an author -receiving letter after letter of rejection. For every one publisher that is interested in a work, another fifty will reject it with a nice letter:

“Thank you for your recent submission. Although we enjoyed your short story, we are unable to use it for our publication at this time.”

Blah, blah, blah. They all read the same.

Yet, it is part of the journey of a writer - these ups and downs, the subtle attack on the pride of one’s craft. When you send out your materials with the cover letter and SASE, it is almost like a burden being lifted from your shoulders. And, with each rejection letter that comes back, the weight is added back on.

You read through your story again, trying to find out what could be better - even second guessing decisions that you made in writing it. What’s wrong with my story? This self-reflection can, however, lead to improving the story.

You wish you had people who could read it and give you quality feedback on the structure, voice, and characterization of the short story, but your friends cannot give that to you, and you no longer have professors who will read over your work. You feel alone.

Therefore, the wait continues; the arduous journey of submissions is a path of waiting, revising, submitting, and waiting again.