POETRY


   
"Thinking of WCW" (premiered at Insomniacathon, December 2004)

   
"Ms. In Scene, New Jersey Korean War Memorial" (added 6/17/01)

   Selections from Lollygagged and Flannel Flogged (added 4/1/01):

  "The Room You Requested is Full"     (published online at  Insomniacathon, December 2004)

  "The Belvedere Lament"

  "Fourth Period, Looking"

  "Mr. Spencer"

  "Cellular Serenade"    (published in Churches, Banks and Bars, Vol.3, July 2004)

  "e  r"     (published online at  Insomniacathon, December 2004)

   "The Wine That Leaks"

  "Un Brindis A Vida (A Toast to Life)"
 

PLAYS

        Occasional Poisonings from the Kitchen (2009).  A one-act play that premiered at Bunbury Theatre’s The Honest Abe 23 Minute Play Festival.  What really happens to assassinated presidents?  For Lincoln and Garfield, they have become co-workers in a job that never seems to end.  As they toil in their “office,” they ponder the notion of legacy, and wonder something we all wrestle with: what will I be remembered for when I’m gone?  In streaming video on YouTube, in four parts below.  Added 5/15/09.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

 

  SHORT FICTION

        "The Fragments of Flowers" (2004).  Three female authors and thousands of years.   Added 7/25/04.

 

  ESSAYS

       "'As Made These Things More Rich': The Linguistic Influence of Shakespeare" (2004).  An introductory essay about the Bard's influence on American English and culture. Also introduces the concept of "megaphor."  Added 1/25/05.

         "Fred Daniels as Christ Noir: The Shadow-Savior Imagery of 'The Man Who Lived Underground'" (2003).  Explores the protagonist's martydom in Richard Wright's 1942 short story.  Added 12/22/03.

        "Muhammad the Abolitionist: Slavery in the Qur'an" (2002).  A discussion of the Holy Book of Islam's specific plan to end slavery; a remarkable achievement, considering it was written down in seventh century Arabia. Added 5/1/02.

        "Analysis of 'The Holocaust and Philosophy'" (2002).  Critique of an insightful essay by Emil L. Fackenheim.  Added 4/13/02.

        "Donna Kinney, Woman Religious" (2001).  An interview with a Sister of Charity of Nazareth and Vice President of Mission for Caritas Health Center. Added 3/17/02.

       "Williams as Doctor and Artist" (2000). William Carlos Williams is one of my favorite writers.  This essay examines four of his short stories:  "Mind and Body," "The Girl With the Pimply Face," "A Face of Stone," and "The Use of Force."  These stories illustrate how Williams's poetic artistry complimented his doctor skills, and vice versa.  Added 4/1/01.

       "Doctor Did-Little and the Modern Scientist-Physician" (2000).  Discusses Lewis Thomas's book The Youngest Science, summarizing the changing expectations and skills of doctors in the twentieth century.  Added 4/1/01.

        "The Possibility of Meaning in American Historical Studies" (2000).  Lawrence W. Levine is a superb author and historian.  (I mention his book Highbrow/Lowbrow in Lollygagged's foreward.)  In The Unpredictable Past, Levine examines how the interpretation of past "history" has changed and needs to be changed.  I discuss three of his essays: "The Concept of the New Negro and the Realties of Black Culture," "Jazz and American Culture," and "The Historian and the Icon: Photography and the History of the American People in the 1930's and 1940's." Added 3/31/01.

        "Camus's The Plague as a Struggle Against Fascism" (2000).  Added 3/31/01.

        "Castles in the Air:  Twain and Utopian Fiction, 1871 - 1891" (2001).  Originally, this extensive hyperessay was written for a U of L American Literature undergraduate class and posted on a university server.  It puts Twain's 1889 novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court in the context of other utopian fiction of the late nineteenth century, such as Bellamy's Looking Backward and Morris's News from Nowhere.   Since my graduation, the site is no longer active.  However, I have recently uploaded the major sections of the essay to Scribd for the sake of archival; although links are no longer active, all the text portions can still be read.  Start with “Castles in the Air Intro,” then the actual “Hyperessay,” and pursue your interest from there.   Originally added 3/28/01.

        "Capote's Bias:  In Cold Blood as an Anti-Death Penalty Argument" (1999).  Added 3/7/01.

       "From Superman to Supersales: Doug Adams Helps Explain the Social and Financial Impact of Comic Books" (1997).  In addition to research, I interviewed Mr. Adams, head manager of Comic Book WorldGives a concise history of "sequential art." Added 3/7/01.

       "'Demon with a Fainting Soul':  The Advantages of a Mild Mephostophilis in Doctor Faustus" (1999).  Explores Christopher Marlowe's most famous work.  Added 3/7/01.

       "True Faith and the Relevance of the Resurrection" (1996).  Examines the socio-historical and religious controversies surrounding the story of Jesus of Nazareth's Resurrection.  Added 3/7/01.
 

 

Note:  all writings are the property of Adam Watson, unless otherwise indicated.  Others who wish to quote from any writing for educational use or for critical reviews may do so if material is properly cited.  Any commercial or non-educational use of such writing without the expressed consent of Adam Watson is prohibited.  Likewise, all essays written by Adam Watson on this website are not for profit and for educational use only.

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