Matthew Arnold Stern's Blog, page 17

Mermaids, representation, and white authors

More than enough has been said about the casting of Halle Bailey as Ariel in the live-action The Little Mermaid. Let’s just say if you’re outraged that an imaginary creature is played by someone other than a white person, or you want to deny Black kids the joy of seeing a leading character who looks like […]

A life of consequence

Much has already been said about the life and death of Queen Elizabeth II. But I want to talk about what it means to live a life of consequence. It is exceedingly rare to live as long and have as much global influence as Queen Elizabeth. Yet, this is the benchmark many of us hold […]

Back to the office as a different person

It has been two and a half years since I’ve worked in the office. I’m returning as part of a hybrid program where I work part of the week there and the rest at home. My feelings about this are mixed. I miss interacting face-to-face with my colleagues. Some of my projects require me to […]

If I bought the Angels

Like most Angel fans, I was excited to hear the team might be sold. We hope a new owner can restore our beloved Halos to their winning ways and stop wasting generational talents like Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. There is no way I could ever buy a baseball team. That’s a hobby for billionaires. […]

Can you still write a sympathetic character you disagree with?

In Christina’s Portrait, I developed a minor character who is someone I fundamentally disagree with, but someone who is sympathetic. This character, Ray Davis, is the brother of one of my main characters, Noreen. He proves to be important because he brings my other main character, Benicia, closer to Noreen. Ray had to be more […]

Even more songs to raise your spirits

In these crazy times, even good news can make us nervous. When we gain victories, we worry they might be taken away. Seeing the schoolyard bullies who never grew up facing consequences can make us fearful of more dangers ahead. As always, I turn to music for comfort and inspiration in difficult situations. This list […]

Do I really want to be America’s Next Great Author?

I was excited to hear about the new reality show for writers, America’s Next Great Author. (I wished the reality competition for public speakers, The Messengers, went somewhere.) Judging from what I’ve seen so far, it sounds like America’s Next Great Author will take writing seriously. At least, I hope it won’t be about forming […]

You don’t need food to have a good time

I didn’t achieve my Weight Watchers goal for the week. But I gained a valuable lesson that helped me on my journey towards greater health. I realized I didn’t need food to have a good time. I gained this from two experiences. The first was a department lunch we had last week at the Yard […]

The importance of authenticity

We all chase the viral video or post that will get us noticed. There’s one thing that works better than others: authenticity. I experienced this recently when I created a TikTok video to promote The Remainders, which was selected as Book of the Day by Ereader News Today. I could have done the typical “buy […]

45 things I learned about writing

I recently joined a Facebook group with a lot of first-time writers. They ask questions like, “I want to be a writer, but I don’t know where to start.” Those questions got me thinking back when I first decided I wanted to be a writer 45 years ago. Then, I think about what I’ve learned […]