Sometimes you find a song you like under good circumstances. Sometimes you find one you like under completely sucky circumstances. This song comes from the latter--not from a direct personal concern but still something that saddens me. I think it will become an odd addition to my regular playlist. For those who are playing at … Continue reading Death of a Clown
Author: joanne m. austin
I write about (and sometimes edit) weird things.
My parents’ record collection
These are the record albums my parents had in their (sadly defunct) collection, as I remember them. Neither of my parents were rabid audiophiles and we were kinda poor in my early years, so the collection wasn't extensive. But it's what I had available to me as a kid and is the basis for some … Continue reading My parents’ record collection
Weird Ghosts = Weird Hauntings
The book I worked on in 2006, Weird Hauntings, was out of print after having pretty decent sales in both hardcover and paperback (this was just before ebooks were a thing). Last year, my bosses at Weird NJ let me know that the publisher (not them) planned on re-issuing the book this fall. They were … Continue reading Weird Ghosts = Weird Hauntings
A return to ghosts
Not too long ago, I traveled with a friend of mine to the Strauss Mansion in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. It's a beautiful old place and allegedly haunted, which is what we were there for - a ghost tour. I'm currently writing up the experience, which was pretty positive. We got to play with different tools … Continue reading A return to ghosts
Doll Parts
Back in 2009, I took a writing class taught by Jeremy Shipp and the end result was a short story draft called "Doll Parts." I will say, as an aside, that if Jeremy ever teaches a class again, you should take it. My class was a lot of fun. Some friends thought the story was … Continue reading Doll Parts
Signs
Today is a strange, sad day in the U.S. for a lot of reasons. It made me think of an essay draft I wrote last June for a Corporeal Writing class called Ontologies: Writing Your Way into the World. It still needs work, but it presents a true story about my life in one of … Continue reading Signs
Jersey Derby story online
I updated the "My Work" page with a link to the article I wrote about New Jersey-based roller derby, in case you're interested in checking it out. If there is a sport I was healthy and badass enough to participate in, it would be roller derby. I spent a year or so traveling to games … Continue reading Jersey Derby story online
Going Viral
Nope, not the flu.A few weeks ago, there was a Twitter post from Eric Alper, which asked an innocent question: what movie disturbed you as a child? He often asks questions like this, and because I had a great example, I responded:This is the scene in Invasion of the Body Snatchers when the results of … Continue reading Going Viral
Following Annie
Yesterday I took a trip to two New Jersey towns--Blairstown and Hope--that were featured in scenes from the 1980 horror movie, Friday the 13th. Both appear early in the film, when we're following the perky and independent Annie, who signed on to be the cook at Camp Crystal Lake and is getting there on a … Continue reading Following Annie
A year of not posting
I see I haven't posted here in almost a year. Like a lot of people, I've been a tad distracted, and not busy enough writing. A quick list of what's happened: 1. Post-election freakout and obsession over the direction my country is headed in. It's been taking up a lot of headspace. 2. Participation in … Continue reading A year of not posting
