You were promised authentic stories. But what you got felt hollow. What went wrong? Look, realistic depictions matters. It’s crucial for seeing some of yourself reflected in the stories you consume. But in all my years observing media trends and analyzing cultural narratives, I’ve seen attempts at Muslim “representation” fail time and time again. Because “representation” is only half [...]
Let me tell you a quick story about how brutal Kirkus Reviews can be. When Dave Eggers published his memoir “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” – a book that would become a Pulitzer Prize finalist – Kirkus reviewed it with just two savage words: “It isn’t.” That’s Kirkus for you. They’re the Simon Cowell of the literary [...]
“In this scene,” the executive uncaps his red pen, “let’s have the hero’s mother survive.” Across the conference table, the author’s hands clench into fists. Ten years of crafting the perfect story about loss and redemption – about to be “improved” by someone who hasn’t even read the whole manuscript. This scene plays out so often that [...]
Remember that scene in Titanic where the musicians keep playing as chaos erupts around them? That’s what it feels like in the comics industry right now. Publishers are scrambling as Diamond Comic Distributors – the industry’s largest distributor – just filed for bankruptcy. Right now, hundreds of creators are wondering if 6 months of their work [...]
“You’re so white,” they mocked when he mentioned liking apple cinnamon oatmeal. I watched this Facebook thread explode this week: – Some defended pumpkin spice – Others attacked “white people food” – Fries in milkshakes became a war zone But as I watched their eyes fill with zeal over breakfast choices, I remembered another mother’s eyes… Big news: The Midwest Book [...]
New Year’s idea: let’s toss out everything we think we know about storytelling and reimagine it ourselves. Maybe we start with the ending—some guy walks into a bar, boom, he’s dead. Then we work backwards to figure out why he was dumb enough to walk in there (haram!) to begin with. But I digress…. Anyway, at a [...]
Midnight. Pine needles crunch under bare feet. Sarah’s fingers tremble against the closet door. “What’s this?” The overhead light snaps on. Her mother stands in the doorway, prayer mat dangling from one hand. The Christmas tree’s lights cast dancing shadows across her face. “First you won’t sing carols. Then you hide a… a mat? Are they radicalizing you [...]
Picture two men in ancient Greece: One dines from golden plates in a marble palace. Servants feed him delicacies from across the empire. The other sits in dirt, spooning lentils from a wooden bowl. The rich man (Aristippus) sneers down: “If you would learn to be subservient to the king, you wouldn’t have to live on lentils.” The poor [...]
“I hate you!” Words that launched 1,000 love stories. Yet while Hollywood churns out formulaic rom-coms, real love rarely follows a script. That’s why movies like “Palm Springs” (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) and “The Big Sick” (98% on Rotten Tomatoes) hit different. They dare to show love’s messy reality – where sometimes “I hate you” is more [...]
