Page 1 of Bill Ectric's writing

1. Samuel Taylor Coleridge and the Romantic Movement When I think of Coleridge, I think of those momentary sparks of intuition I have experienced, when my brain seemed to grasp a clear and divine truth. It’s like seeing something from the corner of my eye when I turn to look more closely - it's... (posted by Bill Ectric 6 years 13 days ago.)

2. Hunter S. Thompson and Woody Creek, Colorado Truth hovers somewhere between intellectual enlightenment and glitzy commercialism, between polite give-and-take discourse and exploding old cars for kicks. Real life does not separate into neat compartments like “fiction/nonfiction" or... (posted by Bill Ectric 6 years 65 days ago.)

3. The Mary Shelley Story Mary Shelley was born Mary Godwin in London, England on August 30, 1797 to remarkable parents. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, a feminist when feminism was almost unheard of, wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1792. Her father, William... (posted by Bill Ectric 6 years 161 days ago.)

4. Ernest J. Gaines on the Art & Craft of Writing When Ernest J. Gaines was growing up, it was against the law in Louisiana for a black person to walk into a public library. At the age of fifteen, Gaines left his home in Point Coupée, Louisiana to reunite with his mother and stepfather in... (posted by Bill Ectric 6 years 182 days ago.)

5. Metafiction and the 4th Wall Most "new" concepts are not really new. They come and go in various incarnations, ever growing in our mass consciousness, until they reach the critical mass known as "everyone is talking about it." Two such concepts are metafiction in literature... (posted by Bill Ectric 6 years 328 days ago.)

6. David Prowse, from Frankenstein's Monster to Star War's Darth Vader "The Studio That Dripped Blood" – that was the nickname given to Hammer Films, the British movie company which rekindled interest in classic monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Mummy. Beginning in the late 1950's and all through the... (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 4 days ago.)

7. Tonya Smart and Femme Horizon Bill Ectric Interviews Tonya Smart Introduction to Tonya Smart, from her web site: Tonya M. Smart, a native of Rhode Island , currently lives in Jacksonville , FL and is a writer and performance poet. She is the Co-founder/Editor in Chief of... (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 25 days ago.)

8. Jim Cherry Interviewed by Bill Ectric I sat in a German restaurant called Uli’s with a cup of coffee and a big wedge of a delicious cake called “black cherry forest” and began reading Stranger Souls by Jim Cherry. I can’t resist this comparison: The short stories in (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 117 days ago.)

9. I Married A Euglena It was a marriage of convenience. They were trying to deport this giant mutant euglena which I happened to know from a troup of improv vampire performers at the goth club Fangeely's. A euglena is a single-celled freshwater organism marked by... (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 143 days ago.)

10. River City Rebels Interviewed by Bill Ectric Scoop! My prediction: You will hear a lot more from this band. I saw a lot of bands at the Vans Warped Tour Sunday, August 3, 2004, but the one that really grabbed my attention was River City Rebels . photo by B (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 147 days ago.)

11. Frankenstein Factors: Mary Shelley’s Influences My thanks to CG from England for pointing out an error that has now been corrected. Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein when she was 18 years old. She said the idea came to her in a dream, and dreams are assembled by the subconscious mind... (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 154 days ago.)

12. Walden review by Bill Ectric 'Walden' by Henry David Thoreau is a witty, refreshing book about a man at peace with the natural world around him. Thoreau makes references to many varied subjects, and many different kinds of readers will find ways to relate to what he says.... (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 156 days ago.)

13. Robert Southey: A Lake Poet In the early 1800's there were a group of writers known as The Lake Poets. This was because they all lived in the "Lake District" in northwestern England. They are usually listed as a trio, but two of them are somewhat more famous than the third.... (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 156 days ago.)

14. Minn of the Mississippi reviewed by Bill Ectric Minn of the Mississippi: Turtle On the River Long before my young attention span could handle reading the entire text of this book, I sat for hours pouring over the fascinating illustrations. Minn of the Mississippi, by Holling Clancy Holling... (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 157 days ago.)

15. Thoreau's Civil Disobedience A few years ago my wife and son and I went to Washington D.C. to visit my aunt and uncle who live there, and also to take our son to many of the museums, historical sites, and government buildings which are located there. We toured the White House... (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 160 days ago.)

16. Larry Keenan Interview by Bill Ectric Photographer Larry Keenan was there to chronicle the great transition from the “Beat Generation” to the “Hippie Generation” - taking pictures of artists, musicians, and scene-makers like Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassidy, Bob Dylan, Michael McClure... (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 165 days ago.)

17. Stetson Kennedy Interview by Bill Ectric Imagine standing under the night sky on the side of a mountain, surrounded by a thousand Ku Klux Klan members, all wearing their ghastly hoods and sheets. A huge burning cross casting monstrous shadows over the proceedings. You are also wearing a... (posted by Bill Ectric 7 years 165 days ago.)