Matthew Arnold Stern's Blog, page 11

What happened to 9/11?

Tomorrow is the 22nd anniversary of 9/11. This means an entire generation has grown up and finished college, and they only know about 9/11 from a history book. I’ll commemorate 9/11 by donating blood. That’s what many people did in the days and even hours after the attack. We wanted to do something—anything—to help those […]Related posts:Why conspiracy theorists are great storytellersAn open letter to John Green about American historyWhy I won’t unfriend you despite your abhorrent posts

Creating a playlist for a novel

I create a playlist for every novel. This includes my work-in-progress, Christina’s Portrait. You will find the playlist on Spotify: I listen to a few songs on my playlist before starting a writing session. It gets me into the mood of the scenes I’m working on and helps me focus on the themes of the […]Related posts:How to write about the pastWords and musicBeta for Christina’s Portrait

Friday night football

This is a great time of year for a sports lover like me. My two favorite sports, baseball and football, overlap. Little League has its World Series, MLB teams are fighting for the playoffs, and all the football leagues are getting started. This includes high school football season that starts tomorrow night. Riddle me this: […]Related posts:No NFL in LAThe two ResedasThe dangers of trash talk — Part III

History and historical fiction

I wouldn’t say PragerU and the Florida Board of Education are whitewashing history. That assumes they’re starting with actual history to sanitize. At best, you can call it historical fiction. They use historical figures to come up with a made-up story, like what Quentin Tarantino did with Inglorious Basterds and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. […]Related posts:Pinochet, historical fiction, and usHow to write about the pastAn open letter to John Green about American history

From you, all things must come and go

I wrote this poem 40 years ago. It reflects what I believe about life and beyond it. From you, all things must come and go, And all is part of one great flow As endless as the ocean’s roar And far beyond the lives we know.  All of us are grains of sand Flung upon […]Related posts:Two poems from the 1980sThe Great Man’s FuneralWhy gratitude is magic

Why we can’t retire

We recently witnessed some ancient senators who had trouble functioning at their jobs. But the cry “Why don’t they just retire already?” doesn’t only apply to politics. There was a time when someone of my age was supposed to start stocking up on fishing equipment and working on my golf game. Now, I’m lucky if […]Related posts:What I want for AmericaA warning to Generations Z and AlphaThe price we pay

Protecting our children’s innocence

As a parent and grandparent, I’m concerned about keeping children safe. But the cry “What about the children?” has resulted in many types of horrible behavior, from misconduct by youth sports leagues to genocide. Today, repressive legislation comes in the guise of “protecting our children’s innocence.” What does this mean? When we first look at […]Related posts:The two paths to fameHorror movies: Fantasy lessons for the real worldGhost story

“The union makes us strong”

I have never belonged to a labor union. Outside of my friends who are members, my only direct interactions with labor unions were when I registered a screenplay with the WGA before submitting it to an agent and a UAW label on my car. But I benefit from labor unions. And so do you. Unions […]Related posts:Interview with Joseph Lewis Interview with Lucy McLaren An interview with Joannes Rhino

Allyship and the Anne Frank question

I was watching a TikTok video by Texas artist Soren Pendragon castigating those who claim to be allies of the LGBTQ+ community, but they back away at the slightest threat (à la Target). He describes them as those who fly the Pride flag 1/12 of the year and go back to their lives, while the […]Related posts:Leave Anne Frank alone!? “I’m sorry, Anne, but I have to let you go.” Why faith in goodness is not enough

Bye, bye, birdie?

When Elon Musk bought Twitter, I decided to stay. But with his latest round of disastrous decisions, it was time to find another platform. I tried Mastodon, but I couldn’t get any engagement, even when I invited people. One person told me it was too complicated. Then, Meta introduced Threads. I’ve raised issues about Facebook […]Related posts:I’m not leaving “The only game in town” What is good technology? — Part II