No Girlz Allowed: Zoë Quinn, Anita Sarkeesian, and Gaming While Female

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This is a guest post by friend of the Recorder, Molly Schlemmer, who expressed interest in writing about a frightfully topical issue, one in which she has the full support of the Addison Recorder.

Sarkeesian

Anita Sarkeesian in her latest episode of Tropes vs. Women in Video Games.

I am a gamer.  I am also a woman, which makes me one of those mythic “girl gamers.”  About a week ago Andrew Rostan shared this article from The Mary Sue on Facebook.  My stomach sank as I read it.  Was the gaming world really going to do this again?

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So You Want To Be A Writer

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A guest post by Jason Fabeck, who lives in Chicago and is currently writing a book while trying desperately to match his socks. 

when it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.

there is no other way.

-Charles Bukowski

Before you ask, the answer is yes. I titled my first piece after a Bukowski poem. I decided to take a risk and quote a famous writer. But guess what? That’s what writers do: take risks. We wear hats! We have relationship problems! We own dogs with dead celebrity names! Now, you say, “So do I. And I’m not a writer.” Well, you might just be. The first rule of becoming a great writer-human is to know that you are capable of being one. Sounds silly but I really think it starts as simple as that.

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Thoughts from the Dugout: Race to the Postseason

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Image of Adam Dunn of the Oakland A's

The calendar has turned. The evenings are starting to become a bit cooler, leaves are clinging to the last vestiges of green, and school is back in session. It’s also the last breath of the regular baseball season before jumping into the October playoff frenzy. There are multiple reasons as to why we’re entering my favorite time of the year, and the fact that the World Series is right around the corner plays no small part in this feeling.

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Addison Recorder Football Pick ‘Em: Week Two

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Welcome to the Addison Recorder‘s football Pick ‘Em column. Each week Alex and a guest writer will predict the outcome of the most intriguing games on the slate. He will try to be as expert as possible, but we make no guarantees for his guests.

Michigan at #16 Notre Dame

Jehu Chesson Bowling Mgoblog

Jehu Chesson goes bowling in last year’s game. (Image via.)

Alex:

This is the last game scheduled in this rivalry for the foreseeable future. Notre Dame decided that it needed to drop to only two Big Ten games per year since it entered a scheduling agreement with the ACC. To which I say: to hell with Notre Dame! Michigan literally taught them how to play football and they’re gonna drop us in favor of more games against Purdue and North Carolina State? Go straight to hell, Domers. If there’s any vindication for Michigan fans it is that we should send the hated Irish off with another loss. Both teams looked good on their opening weekend, but Notre Dame is missing several starters and key contributors due to an academic fraud scandal. That should be enough to propel Michigan to victory behind a newly-coherent offense and aggressive defense. Wolverines by 10.  [Read more…]

Talking Time Travel With Shaun Manning

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rsz_interesting-drug-cover-17c181

Shaun Manning writes novellas, marketing plans for the University of Michigan Press, theatrical productions, work for BBC Radio… and comics. Lots of comics. These include the new graphic novel, Interesting Drug, which was published by Archaia/Boom! Studios to excellent reviews including praise from Comic Book Resources and Broken Frontier.

Interesting Drug takes one of the classic science fiction/fantasy conceits and gives it a new spin. Andrew Smith, a brilliant but unambitious college dropout, meets Tristram Lang, a handsome and charming man who is self-confident to the point of cocksure. Tristram claims to be from ten years in the future, when Andrew has invented a way to make time travel possible, and he’s come back to make sure Andrew succeeds. To his own surprise, Andrew does develop Chro-Noz — a drug that rewires your consciousness to send you back through your timeline. His joy at this discovery is short-lived, for the world becomes addicted to Chro-Noz (and its nostalgia), outpacing contemporary drugs like cocaine or heroin. Andrew, now an unwilling criminal mastermind, discovers that Tristram knows more about time travel than he tells…

Shaun Manning very graciously spoke with me about the challenges of forging a unique addition to the canon of time travel literature. 

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Our Month in Pop Culture – September 2014

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We here at The Addison Recorder read stuff. We also watch stuff. And play stuff, even. Sometimes, that stuff is interesting. Sometimes we just need to talk about whatever pop culture ephemera occupies our time. Which brings us to this column. Party on.

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It’s Only a Reflektor: Arcade Fire Live in Concert

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Image of Arcade Fire Reflektor Tour

Arcade Fire grew to prominence as an indie-band, releasing the critically acclaimed Funeral in late 2004. Since then, they’ve released Neon Bible (2007), Grammy Award-winning The Suburbs (2010), and, most recently, the double album Reflektor (2013). This year, they’ve embarked upon a gargantuan arena tour, recently playing two nights at Chicago’s United Center on August 26th and 27th. Alex and I were lucky enough to find cheap tickets, and attended the concert in all of its stadium-esque glory.

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Roxane Gay On “Bad Feminism,” Beyoncé, & Blogging

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Roxane Gay

Roxane Gay, author of Bad Feminist, reads at Women & Children First Bookstore in Andersonvile.

What does it mean to be a “bad feminist”? Author Roxane Gay defines the term in the intro of her book of essays of the same title. She admits she may not be as up on feminist texts as she’d like and sometimes she finds herself singing along to pop music she knows is bad for women. But she also supports equal pay for equal work and a woman’s right to make decisions about her own health with unfettered access to health care. A “bad” feminist accepts that she or he cannot be a perfect ideal and example of feminism at all times.

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Talkin’ Softball 22 Years Later: Thoughts from the Dugout

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The Springfield Nuclear Power Plant softball team posing as champions after a series of unfortunate events befell the players

A lot has happened in baseball of late: Mo’ne Davis proving there’s no crying in baseball … except for the kids she strikes out; Jackie Robinson West advancing to the tops of the Little League World Series; and continuing struggles in the race for October. Starting September, I’ll update every week regarding the playoff race. For now, the new TV station FXX is marathoning every episode of The Simpsons, and the baseball/softball tribute/parody “Homer at the Bat” grabbed my attention, if only for the sterling line-up of major league guest stars. The episode aired twenty-two years ago, either two too many or three too few for a proper anniversary tribute, but I wanted to check in on what the Springfield Power Plant softball team stars have been up to.

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Addison Recorder Football Pick ‘Em: Week One

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Welcome to The Addison Recorder’s football Pick ‘Em column. Each week Alex and a guest writer will predict the outcome of the most intriguing games on the slate. He will try to be as expert as possible, but we make no guarantees for his guests.

Appalachian State at Michigan

Appalachian State Michigan Upset 2007 WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY

WHY THE FUCK ARE WE BRINGING THIS UP AGAIN?! (Image via.)

Bean: Fuck this game. I hate Michigan’s AD, Dave Brandon, for scheduling it. I’m sure he did it because it will draw interest in a cheap way (his reason to exist, apparently) and could exorcise the ghost of The Horror. But it won’t. All it does is bring up memories of that fiasco and even if Michigan wins in 2014 they cannot erase the loss from 2007. Not ever. Playing this game is so stupid I want to explode. Michigan will win, because ASU isn’t as good as they were in ’07. But neither is Michigan. <sighs angrily all day> Wolverines by at least 20 points.

Travis: This game is the best thing since sliced bread. This game invented the wheel. This game painted the Mona Lisa, with enough time left over to make creme brulees for the entire coaching staff and roster of App State. This game is a thing of beauty, a tribute to all that is good and right with the world. Also, Michigan is going to dominate. Wolverines by 21. [Read more…]