Evan Shapiro's Blog
January 17, 2020
Devastated by devastation
Devastated by devastation
What’s a writer of fiction to do when times are dark.
I don’t want to be alarmist, but as an author of pre-apocalyptic, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction I’m finding it difficult to see the difference between reality and conjecture, especially when viewed through the recent smoke haze that has descended upon my city and the fires raging across my nation. Devastation is upon us, however, as the rain falls, I like to remind myself that with all…
September 23, 2019
The Every Day Time Machine
I love time manipulation stories, from H.G. Wells to Doctor Who and everything in between (or perhaps it’s more scattered and nonlinear with no in between). Anyway, it’s no wonder that when my workload became a little unrealistic recently my mind turned to a fictional way of dealing with it. Much to the chagrin of those around me, I find practical solutions often appear to me once I’ve first…
April 18, 2019
More than Paris burning
I feel terrible about Notre-Dame. It’s a unique architectural wonder that deserves to be preserved. Its place, at the centre of Paris, is more than merely physical. It holds ground in hearts and minds, in literature, in cultural and historical spirituality. Not only valued by those that live in Paris, but by all those around the world that have been drawn to and affected by its qualities.
But…
February 3, 2019
Selfie interested
Venturing
out for some culture on Sunday afternoon, my partner and I found ourselves at
the Nick Cave (artist, not singer) exhibition, ‘Until’, currently being staged
at Carriage Works in Everly, Sydney. A fine example of immersive work that
raises questions, peaks emotions and disturbs sensibilities.
More
disturbing than the artwork however was the intrusion of the mobile phone. We
couldn’t…
December 18, 2018
Sid and Essie
18 December 2018
On this day 35 years ago my grandfather, Sid Sperling, departed this earth. He left behind a loving family, many great memories and an indelible mark on those that knew and loved him. He lived a full and happy life. Along with my grandmother, Essie, a strong bond was created with each of their 11 grandchildren. My life has been underpinned by the strong sense of love, community,…
November 26, 2018
Matrix Meditation
Spoiler Alert: If you have never seen the matrix, be warned the following piece describes pivotal screens.
There is a moment towards the end of the Matrix that I find compelling to contemplate.
Inside the Matrix, Neo collapses after being showered in bullets. His body in the real world flatlines and it appears that he is dead. Trinity leans in close, her lips to his ear, she tells him to get the…
November 18, 2018
Unexpected whale of a time
I like a morning walk. Most days I get up with the sunrise or just before and start the day with a brisk walk. My regular walking track is along parts of the Cooks River. It’s not the cleanest of systems but there’s something to be gained from walking along its paths, listening to the wind blow through the trees, nodding hello to fellow walkers and generally doing something mentally and…
July 12, 2018
Is there anybody out there?
I’m a regular listener to podcast ‘This American Life’. This week featured three acts about loneliness and while all three have great merit for very different reasons, I want to tell you about the first one by producer David Kestenbaum. You see Kestenbaum was feeling sad, I mean really sad, because of Fermi’s Paradox. The paradox concerns the high probability of the existence of alien life…
May 23, 2018
Rational thought and a warm bath
Rational thought and a warm bath
One of my earliest memories is of the thought of death. The pink tiles in the upstairs bathroom, glistening from the steam of the bath, breathing in the hot air, feeling the warm water on my skin. Then goosebumps rising quickly as I’m lifted from the water and covered in a towel. Patted down and dried then left to stand in front of the bar heater. Its searing coils radiating warmth through the…
March 5, 2018
The mysterious art of Artemis
I woke to find the shimmering...
I woke to find the shimmering light of Artemis dancing into my room. My brain constructing complicated scenarios in a wistfully precise language I know I’ll never capture, the only audience will be my half-conscious mind.
