Tag: genna rivieccio

Criticism

In Bad Gays, The Argument Is Made That Homosexuality Is a Political Construct Designed to Be Criminalized or “Accepted” Whenever It Suits Those in Power

As Pride Month commences with a rocky start in the U.S. thanks to various corporations getting spooked by a conservative backlash against parading any “rainbow merchandise,” one book that bears a revisit amid this climate is Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller’s Bad Gays. While some would be hesitant to dredge up this title at a moment when the LGBTQIA+ community is already being maligned enough … Continue reading In Bad Gays, The Argument Is Made That Homosexuality Is a Political Construct Designed to Be Criminalized or “Accepted” Whenever It Suits Those in Power

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Criticism

As The #MeToo Backlash Continues, Let Us Remember the Short Stories of Emma Cline’s Daddy

In his 2017 book, Kids These Days, Malcolm Harris predicts, among other things, the eventual raging return of on-blast misogyny (what he refers to as the “misogynist backlash”). Mainly as a result of looking for a scapegoat to blame for the way things are when, in fact, things are that way as a direct result of the patriarchal, male-spewed “values” we all still adhere to … Continue reading As The #MeToo Backlash Continues, Let Us Remember the Short Stories of Emma Cline’s Daddy

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Criticism

Tate Carmichael’s Review of Paris Hilton’s Memoir, Oh So Originally Called “Paris: The Memoir”

Tate Carmichael is the star of her own memoir, Lindsay Lohan Stole My Life, which depicts perhaps a more honest view than most of the period known as the aughts. The Opiate Books does not necessarily agree with or condone the opinions expressed and contained herein (complete with what many would call “strong language”), however we believe in freedom of speech and that, as Paris … Continue reading Tate Carmichael’s Review of Paris Hilton’s Memoir, Oh So Originally Called “Paris: The Memoir”

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Essay

The Pros and Cons of Lydia Davis’ “Stance” on Amazon

Described as “one of the most original minds in American fiction today” (not exactly a difficult feat, but anyway…), Lydia Davis is known for something of an irascible, curmudgeonly tone (at least in print). This much was encapsulated in the title of her 2013 short story collection, Can’t and Won’t. As for the latest thing Davis “can’t” and “won’t” do, it’s sell her book on … Continue reading The Pros and Cons of Lydia Davis’ “Stance” on Amazon

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Essay

On Submission Fees and the Publishers Are Pirates Belief That’s Currently Trending

It’s funny how “the universe” can sometimes make you feel like it gives enough of a shit about you to tailor schadenfreude at your expense. I say this because only this year, seven years after starting The Opiate, I decided to implement a two-dollar submission fee, from which I get $1.64 and then still have to pay a monthly fee in order to use the … Continue reading On Submission Fees and the Publishers Are Pirates Belief That’s Currently Trending

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Essay

There’s Being A Literary Snob And There’s Being A Cunt (Or Rather, A Scrotum)

It’s accurate to say that we don’t live in the most literate of times (no, #BookTok doesn’t count). Any expectation on someone to know what can reasonably be viewed as an “esoteric” reference outside of 2004, when Reese Witherspoon starred in the Mira Nair-directed adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, isn’t exactly realistic. But to a quintessential British/literary snob like Hugh Grant, it ostensibly … Continue reading There’s Being A Literary Snob And There’s Being A Cunt (Or Rather, A Scrotum)

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Essay

From Blacksmith to East Palestine: Don DeLillo Isn’t A Prophet, Just a Realist

Like something out of the film adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, it seems that Don DeLillo’s White Noise has the power to make the plot points on the page come to life in 2023. More specifically, that plot point about the train derailment near Blacksmith. A fictional town in (you guessed it) Ohio, where White Noise’s protagonist, Jack Gladney, works as … Continue reading From Blacksmith to East Palestine: Don DeLillo Isn’t A Prophet, Just a Realist

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Criticism

Moby-Dick Splooges All Over The Whale

It’s easy to forget that the title of Herman Melville’s most major work, Moby-Dick, has another component to it: Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. Fittingly, Samuel D. Hunter’s adaptation of his own play, The Whale, has plenty of nods to Moby-Dick. And not just because Charlie is “the whale” in question that everyone seems intent on “getting”—particularly a missionary named Thomas (Ty Simpkins), who wants to … Continue reading Moby-Dick Splooges All Over The Whale

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Essay

“A Veritable Minefield of Malapropisms”: Benoit Blanc Dares to Say, in the Current Climate, That Misuse of Language Equates to Idiocy

Because of The Times We Live In, there are a great many things one might shy away from uttering aloud. Lest the real-life Thought Police, who haven’t yet been able to infiltrate the mind, call one out for being offensive, affronting and generally wrong as a person. Among such potential offenses is indicating, in any way, that someone who misuses language is, well, a bit … Continue reading “A Veritable Minefield of Malapropisms”: Benoit Blanc Dares to Say, in the Current Climate, That Misuse of Language Equates to Idiocy

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Essay

There Is Absolutely No Empathy For the Writer When It Comes to Construction Work Infecting Their Space

I don’t know how it always seems to happen to me. I find myself in a living condition where, out of nowhere, the building will suddenly “require” (as if) some massive overhaul on its exterior. The kind of overhaul where the coterie of workers is staring you directly in the face right outside the window, liable to make lewd gestures if you look back for … Continue reading There Is Absolutely No Empathy For the Writer When It Comes to Construction Work Infecting Their Space

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