Author Archives: John Walters

Panning for Gold in the Literary River

I love to write. If it can be said that particular occupations or pursuits are destinies, then writing is mine. For me it is a vocation, a calling, a mission, a pleasure, a joy, a delight, a thrill, a task … Continue reading

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Book Review: Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits Edited by J. Michael Straczynski; Part Three

These days we are constantly beset by entertainment that features extreme acts of violence. We see violent deeds so often in film and television that we have become inured to them; they have, in a sense, lost their shock value. … Continue reading

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Book Review: Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits Edited by J. Michael Straczynski; Part Two

I have been a traveler for much of my life, but my situation and finances don’t make it possible to do so at present. They do, however, make it possible for me to qualify for the national program known as … Continue reading

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Book Review: Harlan Ellison’s Greatest Hits Edited by J. Michael Straczynski; Part One

And now we turn to a complex subject: the writer Harlan Ellison. He was a volatile, controversial figure during his lifetime, and continues to be after his death. His literary executor, Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, is intent upon … Continue reading

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Concerning Empathy

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, empathy is “the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.” This contrasts with sympathy, which is a feeling of concern for another … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Devil’s Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival among America’s Great White Sharks by Susan Casey

In the days when there were only four channels on TV, no cable, and no streaming services, my friend and housemate Rolf and I used to go to a lot of movies. On one occasion we went to a downtown … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Playground by Richard Powers

My God this is a beautiful book. This is why I read: to discover gems like this. I don’t think it’s perfect; it gets a little confusing at the end and some of the threads remain unresolved. But it is … Continue reading

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Resolute for the New Year

That title above is not a typo. I intended to write “resolute” instead of “resolutions.” At this time of year, a lot of people announce various ambitions or goals that they promulgate as resolutions, but many of these resolutions turn … Continue reading

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Book Review:  The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides

I love a well-written true life historical adventure, and this is a great one. It tells the story of Captain Cook’s third and final voyage, a voyage on which he was killed in the Hawaiian Islands. The depth of research … Continue reading

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Life Is a Gift

As I mention at the beginning of this essay, I wrote it a few weeks before Christmas. My first thought was to post it a week or so after Christmas, possibly even after New Year’s Day, because I thought it … Continue reading

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