Author Archives: Samuel Snoek-Brown

A Writer’s Notebook: “Casting a Wide Net”

This week, another exercise from Scott McCloud’s Making Comics. In this exercise, McCloud asks us to create a cast of characters that share one trait (from a list of traits–see below) but are different in at least four other ways. These academics are my four characters (in the order I wrote them). Sandra: 45, aContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: “Casting a Wide Net””

A Writer’s Notebook: Comics cut-and-paste

Today:  Some comics.  Slightly later today:  An explanation of the exercise. In some ways, this exercise is similar to last week’s, in that I’m “borrowing” from other sources and piecing them together into new art.  Of course, this looks wildly different: It’s more than partly visual. I’ve just finished reading the third of Scott McCloud‘sContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: Comics cut-and-paste”

Pakistan flood relief

I’ve mentioned before how hard it is to keep up with relief efforts for the string of major disasters in the past year or so, and because so many of the relief and aid organizations tend to be the same for each disaster–and recent constant experience has made them (presumably) the best prepared to help–I’veContinue reading “Pakistan flood relief”

Noise, by Darin Bradley

A friend of mine is releasing his first novel in a couple of weeks, an apocalyptic novel called Noise.  I haven’t read it yet, but by all accounts, it’s awesome.  (I have read the teaser text on the publisher’s website–it certainly looks awesome!) Darin and I are bouncing back and forth on an interview aboutContinue reading “Noise, by Darin Bradley”

One tragedy in academia

Among my various pet causes (promoting nonviolence, encouraging the creative writing of kids and teens, supporting increased awareness about breast cancer), one of the most recent for me is bullying. Usually, we associate bullying with the schoolyard, and when the news reports on bullying (and it has been reporting on it more in recent years,Continue reading “One tragedy in academia”

A Writer’s Notebook: Magnet poetry

Caveat emptor:  This is not good poetry. Blame the magnets. My velvet yesterday surrounds today in translucent smoke, you in corduroy angling for another cut of tea, steam a prisoner behind your glasses, the naked smile that tugs one side of your lips, the memory of the porcelain morning light over the ocean. We neverContinue reading “A Writer’s Notebook: Magnet poetry”