In the seventh grade I wrote a parody script of the television show The Love Boat. It was unsurprisingly called The Shove Boat and was heavily influenced by years of reading MAD Magazine. Since MAD is supposedly no longer going to publish issues filled with original content, I wanted to share the fledgling efforts that … Continue reading The Shove Boat
Writing
The vans of Newark
I worked in Newark, NJ full time from 1997ish through 2000. I took the train from Dover--the NJ Transit line that started in Netcong and ran through Morris and Essex Counties to the Newark Broad Street Station and then beyond to Penn Station in NYC (though now I’m sure it stops in Secaucus). People always … Continue reading The vans of Newark
Movies that reduced me to tears
Every so often someone poses this question on Twitter: What movie makes you cry every time? I was going to reply, but I'd need to create a thread to capture all of them. I am very weepy when it comes to movies and TV shows. Books, too, but the focus here is the screen. ET … Continue reading Movies that reduced me to tears
Death of a Clown
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
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
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 all over New Jersey and Pennsylvania (the pictures taken above come from a tournament held in PA). And what I saw were players working together to come … Continue reading Jersey Derby story
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 using a gif of a scene from Invasion of the Body Snatchers … Continue reading Going Viral
joanne m. austin 
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