About Omnivorous
Hello, and welcome to Omnivorous, my own little corner of the Substack newsletter universe. As its title suggests, this is where I get to indulge my love of…well, everything. Film, TV, books, fantasy, sci-fi, historical fiction, history books, biography–it’s all here, along with my thoughts and analysis. Sometimes, these will take the shape of the kind of review that you might read at traditional outlets, and at others it’ll be a quasi-academic essay. In either case, it’ll be like getting to spend some time with your favorite queer English professor.
Getting Your Money’s Worth
IIf you’re kind enough to subscribe, you’ll get a daily e-mail from me (just one, mind you. I don’t want to swamp your mailboxes!) With some exceptions, this will be the weekly release schedule:
Sinful Sunday–a short essay about a notable queer villain from film and TV, with an occasional foray into the literary
Matinee Monday–a review of a film, sometimes a contemporary or new release and sometimes one from the past (I’m a big lover of classic Hollywood)
Tolkien Tuesday–an essay focusing on the works of JRR Tolkien. Sometimes this will take the form of an analysis of a chapter from one of his works–The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, etc.--and others it will be focused on some aspects of his life or work I find particularly fascinating
Wheel of Time Wednesday–much like Tolkien Tuesday, except this time focusing on Robert Jordan’s enormous series The Wheel of Time.
Must-See TV Thursday–reviews of my favorite TV shows past and present; sometimes this will take the form of weekly episode analyses and recaps of current TV and others it’ll be an overall series review
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Friday—reviews of movies, TV, and books that fall in the speculative fiction category. As with the other days, sometimes these will be about new releases and sometimes it’ll be about classics or underappreciated gems.
Wild Card Saturday–sorry that this one doesn’t have any alliteration. This day might feature a book or movie or TV review I didn’t have space for earlier in the week, or it might be a personal essay or even a piece of fiction. It’ll be a surprise, and who doesn’t love surprises?
At the moment, all of my content is free. However, I absolutely encourage you to become a paid subscriber. At the moment, paid subscriptions are $5 a month and $50 for a year. If you’re feeling particularly ambitious and generous, you can become a founding member for $100.
Why pay, you ask? Well, because your money will help me write the best content that I can for your reading pleasure. Who doesn’t like quality commentary, right?
About Me
I grew up in West Virginia, the son and grandson of farmers and blue-collar workers. I was the second person in my family to go to college, and I earned a BA in English, History, and Classics from Marshall University. I went on to earn an MA and PhD in English from Syracuse University, focusing on the classical Hollywood epic.
Since I earned my degree, however, I’ve expanded, and I now write commentary on all aspects of history, politics, pop culture (film, TV, and books), and society (particularly queer issues). I’m also an aspiring writer of fantasy and science fiction. You can check out my other long-form content over at Medium.
