The Archives
The Shape of the Stories We Tell
by Pete Peterson 30
2012
[Note: This has been adapted from the Hutchmoot 2011 session of the same name. Click here for a portion of Travis Prinzi's contribution to that same session.] What does the shape of a story look like? A lot of people might say it looks like a Bell curve: setup, rising conflict, and resolution. That’s the typical answer, and there’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, there’s a lot that’s exactly right about it, and there are a thousand and one books on the subject to prove it. But I don’t think that’s the whole picture. The reason for the question is that we want a way to predict whether a story is going to work. We want a pattern for our creation. We want rules to write by. So what makes a story work? Every critic’s got a theory, me included—or you wouldn’t be reading this.
Because Two Albums are Better Than One
by Jill Phillips 27
2012
Hello, friends. I released my latest album, In This Hour, back in November, and I'm excited to announce a new limited-time offer ("limited-time" sounds fancier than "we don't know when this is going to end but it won't last forever"). Here's the deal: If you buy a CD or download of In This Hour you'll also get a free download of my last record, The Good Things. I am very proud of these projects, both produced by Cason Cooley, and would love to see them reach some new ears. If you can help out by spreading the word to your friends I would be incredibly grateful. Thanks for your support, and thanks for helping me get the word out! "That's Not Who You Are" from In This Hour by Jill Phillips [audio:ThatsNotWho.mp3]
One Minute Review: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
by Thomas McKenzie 26
2012
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a little film getting tons of buzz. And now it has its very own (extra long) One Minute Review. Have a look. And checkout the One Minute Review of Joss Whedon's Cabin in the Woods.
A Magic Deeper than Tales
by S.D. Smith 25
2012
One of the great benefits of reading fiction is the experience we often have of deep empathy for a character. Like a charm, we don’t even realize we have become immersed in someone else’s perspective, loving what they love, hating what they hate, riding shotgun in their hearts. This is dangerous, of course, because we lay our hearts open to things in stories we never would if we were acting with our mind in charge. But it is also a wonder. It’s fantastic to experience someone else, to love and be united to some one so closely in spirit. Perhaps more wonderful is the miracle, if only for a moment, of not being consumed with ourselves. “Sir, you forget yourself.” Thank God. Keep it coming. Maybe it’s not a big deal that the people in stories are often not people in the sense that you and I are. I would argue that they are real. As Chesterton said, “Fable is more historical than fact, because fact tells us about one man and fable tells us about a million men.” It must be admitted they are not real in the primary creation the way we are, but still, we forget ourselves and see through new eyes. Perhaps a million eyes.
RR Interview: Andy Osenga Talks Leonard
by Matt Conner 24
2012
[Editor's note: Today is the final day to buy the Rabbit Room exclusive pre-release of Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut.] If it seems the Rabbit Room has been abuzz with a lot of new music lately, that's because two of our favorite artists have just released their best albums to date within a short span of each other. Both Eric Peters and Andy Osenga have graced our ears with beautiful, inspiring albums in the last few weeks that we just can't get enough of. For Peters, Birds of Relocation is a hopeful, joyous refrain that warrants repeated listens. For Osenga, Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut finally showcases the fantastic rock artist that had yet to emerge -- all encased in a sci-fi theme, of course. We recently took some time out to talk to Osenga about his new record and what it meant to finally release an album comprised of music he'd want to listen to. Osenga's journey is a frightening but compelling one about the freedom of realizing that you can't please everyone. In the process, he's crafted his finest music yet. Matt Conner: It seems the overall buzz is that this is your best album yet, and I would have to agree wholeheartedly. This is a great album, but I'm curious about your take. I'm sure it's hard to say that an entire collection is better or the best.
The Bard’s Birthday
by Pete Peterson 23
2012
As good luck would have it, the English language was blessed with the birth of William Shakespeare some four hundred and forty-eight years ago today (I'll spare you the math--that's 1564). I was talking with Jonathan Rogers a while back and we were discussing the wealth of words Shakespeare had invented. I couldn't recall many examples at the time, but today's news of the Bard's birthday sent me looking. We're probably all aware that many phrases used in our every day speech are attributed directly to Shakespeare's plays, but it's pretty staggering to note just how many of our words appeared in print for the first time in his work. The total is around 1700 by some counts. He certainly didn't invent all of them, since some were undoubtedly in use on the streets long before being printed in his plays, but one of his many gifts was using words, not only in new and interesting ways, but often in new and interesting forms. If you're a word geek like me, this kind of stuff is endlessly fascinating. Here's a tiny sample:
Leonard The Lonely Astronaut Blasts Off
by Jason Gray 19
2012
From the beginning of time the night sky has fueled our dreams of traversing the stars, pioneering the final frontier. Deep calls unto deep as we lie on our backs looking into the vast ocean of space above us and feel the vast ocean of space inside us rise and swell. Like a transmission from the furthest reaches of the universe, or perhaps from somewhere further still within our hearts, the questions find us: “Who am I? Who is God? What does it mean to be human? Why am I lonely?” On a clear night we can see beyond the edges of our galaxy, and we are at once belittled and enlarged. Is our longing to touch the stars a wonder-filled embrace of the great mystery of existence? Or is it perhaps a kind of escapism, a desire to break free of the bonds of gravity and the Fall and the falling that goes along with it. Is it part of our romantic hope that the grass may be greener somewhere over the rainbow, beyond Alpha Centauri? Whatever it is, the night sky excites our imagination, confronts us with our humanity, and stirs within us the big questions.
Rabbit Room Exclusive: Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut
by Pete Peterson 17
2012
Today's the day -- launch day for a much anticipated (and lonely) astronaut. If you pre-ordered Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut in either CD or digital format, you can now log in to your account and download the album in its entirety. Simply redownload your pre-order purchase to receive the new files. CDs will ship the week of May 7th. If you ordered the Deluxe Download or the Custom Flash Drive Package, you can also log in to download the record, but check your email throughout the day for instructions on claiming the special features included in your purchase. If you've been on the fence about all this outer space madness, it might move you to know that Andrew Osenga's Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut is an exclusive Rabbit Room release that will only be available for one week. That's right, it will only be available until midnight on April 24th. After that cut off date, the album will no longer be available to the public and Andy will go into promotional mode in preparation for the album's wide release in the fall. So if you're interested, get it now, or settle in for the long wait. Enjoy the record, folks. We'll have a full review in a few days. In the meantime, be sure to leave your own review in the Rabbit Room store. 3 -- 2 -- 1 -- ignition.
Final Launch Sequence Initiated
by Pete Peterson 17
2012
GO FOR AUTO SEQUENCE
ORB VENT DOOR SE9 START
25 SECONDS [...]
Launch Sequence Initiated
by Pete Peterson 17
2012
INITIATE ORBITER AERO SURFACES PROFILE
check
INITIATE MPS GIMBAL PROFILE CHECKS
check
MPS ENGINES TO START POSITION
[...]
Featured
Facing the Truth
I went to the doctor yesterday for the first time in years. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been sick; it means I’m the kind of stubborn fool who doesn’t like to take an ibuprofen for a headache, the kind of crank who would rather walk around squinting and snappy than to take the blasted aspirin. I just don’t like medicine. I prefer sweating it out, however inconvenient that is for the people around me. So after ten days of coughing and sniffling and whining I finally decided it must be a sinus infection. I have a show in a few days, and I can’t afford to be sick. So I bravely did what any man in my shoes would do: I asked my wife what to do. She told me which doctor to visit and I drove to the offices with a steely resolve. The nurse behind the sliding glass window handed me the clipboard with the dreaded New Patient Paperwork, and then the thing happened that made me want to write this.
The questions began. “Do you have any allergies?” “Do you drink caffeine?” “Do you use tobacco?” “If so, how often?” “Do you exercise regularly?” “Is there a history of heart disease in your family?” “Have you had any surgeries?
Rabbit Room Radio
You can now listen to Rabbit Room artists and podcasts every waking hour of your day—assuming you have a good internet connection. Rabbit Room Radio is available through the player below, through iTunes (look in the “Religious” category), or through any internet radio player. Sunday morning programming coming soon, as well as Saturday morning kids’ music. Let us know what you think.
