The Scribner's Hovel

  “People hate …. Everyone hates” is the mantra of the new, Godless world man has invented for itself from years of prosperity. The hard work of many millions only gets wasted on the empty goods that spoil every subsequent generation. I once belonged to that generation, firmly following the cancerous way of life that Generation Z and the Millennials before them and Generation Alpha are being poisoned by. For one thing, what we call “art” is never so—Bland art that follows the tritest cookie-cutter formula to make the most money possible. This is where the “franchise” comes in—a borrowing from the fast-food world that our movies, television, and books are now forceto conform to. Instead of enjoying a story by itself, it now has to be part of some big sprawling universe that is meant to sell product. It is called “art” because the masses of loyal consumers these days have never understood what true human passion is like. To them, only the big entertainment oligopolies and the famous ...

  This article was originally written on November 8, 2025, so it will certainly be dated only in regards to when it was written. Otherwise, it's not dated. At the Hanover Book Expo on today November 8, 2025, I sold things for the first time. My trove of Legos, with some pieces dating back over 16 years, was a secluded and largely underutilized sideshow for the authors selling books. I shared the same spot in the VFW where Linda Lyles ran a face painting table. Initially, I had intended to run a Lego building contest for children ages 6 to 12, only to realize that not many of them who had come were interested in building along what sparse rules I had set, or were too young to safely play with Legos (choking hazard, you know). Their parents were also uninterested in whatever I had planned. They were more interested in taking a look at all the shiny, highly varied pieces and whatever miscellaneous knickknacks could be found.          ...