Blog Archives
Snapshots in Time
Random³ Musings is your candid collection of reflections, rants, and remembrances that blend humor, grief, and unfiltered commentary into a conversation both raw and relatable. Why was this an important book for you to write?
In some ways, it is a therapeutic effort; I look back periodically to review the reasoning and logical thinking, or in some cases, the emotional responses I had recorded. It is important, I think, to encourage readers to engage in their own thoughts and develop their own.
Which section or story was the most difficult for you to write, and why?
In Passing, as it was entirely personal, with some recently passing and the ongoing sorrow of an estranged son.
You admit your biases openly in the book. How do you hope readers with different viewpoints will respond to that honesty?
I don’t have any expectations of a warm reception to some of them, as our current culture is rather explosive and expressed in the worst ways possible. To those who read past the chapter titles and the first few paragraphs, I hope I convey genuine thought or opinion. There are a few chapters I openly poke fun at or poke the bear, as it might be received.
Looking back, do you see Random³ Musings more as a journal of personal growth or as a snapshot of your voice in a particular moment in time?
A little of both, it can be said that all three books in this series are snapshots in time. I do see movement in the three titles, and growth, more growth may come as I review again over time and compare where my thinking has led me to conclude. Thank you for the interview questions, as they most certainly cause me to ponder these things and gather my thoughts that are more current and timely.
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As we continue to review, rationalize, and tackle some of what gnaws at us, it is suspect it does to some extent for each of us. It is a worthy effort to go back and revisit these mental exercises in thought when something doesn’t seem to fit or conflicts with thoughts previously resolved. It is healthy and fuel for growth to give weight to questioning such matters of importance. Sometimes these matters evolve, mold, and change. Other times it is our depth of rationalizing and understanding that has changed.
Hypnotic Control: Reflections on the Nature of Staged Influence
John-Ivan Palmer’s Hypnotic Control is a raw and riveting memoir-meets-manifesto that dives into the eerie, absurd, and often unsettling world of stage hypnotism. Palmer, a long-time practitioner of the trade, combines autobiographical storytelling with cultural critique, historical digressions, and philosophical musings. The book is divided into sections like “Trance,” “Self,” and “Culture,” all orbiting the central idea of influence—how it’s wielded, received, and distorted through the lens of performance. With a voice that swings from sardonic to poetic, Palmer recounts his life in seedy nightclubs, hypnotic disasters, poetic longings, and surreal encounters, all while slowly peeling back the bizarre mask of control, revealing the performer—and the man—behind it.
Reading Hypnotic Control left me equal parts entertained and disturbed. Palmer’s writing is sharp, self-aware, and brutally honest. He doesn’t romanticize the act of turning people into barking dogs or washing machines; he owns the sleaze, the shame, and the addictive thrill of power. That tension—between the absurdity of staged trance and its profound implications—is where this book shines. He’s not just recounting tricks. He’s exposing something darker, messier. He calls out fellow performers, skeptical academics, and even his own reflection. His descriptions of failed shows, abreacting subjects, and the emotional fallout feel like confessions you’re not supposed to hear. Yet through all of this, there’s a kind of sad humor that stitches the chaos together, and I couldn’t look away.
The personal stories hit hardest. Palmer’s yearning to be a poet in a world that demanded cheap laughs is deeply affecting. The chapters about dancers like Jenny Private or the guarded, tragic Veronica Vixen linger long after reading. They’re not caricatures, they’re wounded souls orbiting a hypnotist who isn’t sure if he’s helping or hurting. His lyrical passages aren’t just window dressing, they’re a counterweight to the grotesque, a way to show that beneath all the lunacy lies a thoughtful, haunted mind. At times, the book felt like a fever dream. The historical digressions into Mesmer and bizarre 19th-century hypnotic stunts added a delicious sense of horror. It’s funny. It’s bleak. It’s uncomfortably real.
If you’ve ever been fascinated by cults, control, live performance, or the ways people bend under the right suggestion, this book will grab you and not let go. It’s a memoir, yes, but also a warning, a weird history, and a meditation on what it means to be human in a world constantly trying to shape us. I’d recommend it to artists, skeptics, performers, and anyone who’s ever laughed at someone doing something embarrassing onstage and later wondered what that laughter meant. Palmer’s world is not pretty. But it is honest. And unforgettable.
Pages: 180 | ISBN : 0982933517
Invisible Strings: 113 Poets Respond to the Songs of Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift’s music has always been full of poetry sharp, confessional, sometimes wistful, sometimes vengeful, always deeply felt. Invisible Strings, edited by Kristie Frederick Daugherty, takes that connection and runs with it, bringing together 113 poets who respond to Swift’s lyrics not with direct references but with their own poetic interpretations. The result is a deeply layered, often moving collection of poetry that feels like an artistic conversation. It’s a book that blends fandom with literary appreciation, proving just how much Swift’s songwriting has shaped modern culture.
What really struck me about this anthology was how it captures the emotional landscape of Swift’s music without ever quoting it outright. Some poems are straightforward responses to a song’s themes, like Bianca Stone’s Love’s Cure, which plays with the idea of love’s fleeting and sometimes dangerous nature much like Swift’s The Archer or You’re Losing Me. Others, like Maggie Smith’s Pull, echo the isolation and longing found in exile and tolerate it, using stark natural imagery to convey deep personal truths. I loved the puzzle-like aspect of this book, trying to match poems to the Swift songs that inspired them, but also appreciating how each poet makes the subject their own.
Some pieces stood out immediately. Andrea Cohen’s Duet has that quiet ache of unspoken heartbreak, much like Swift’s most devastating ballads. Then there’s Jessica Laser’s Concessions, which nails the feeling of post-breakup ghost sightings, the way someone lingers in the background of your life long after they’re gone. These poems aren’t just responses to Taylor Swift; they’re extensions of the emotions she puts into her music, proving that heartbreak, nostalgia, and reinvention are universal themes that cross from pop songs into poetry.
The book is also incredibly well-curated. Daugherty’s introduction captures the spirit of a true Swiftie and literary enthusiast, explaining how the anthology came together and why Swift’s work matters in a poetic sense. The order of the poems feels intentional, creating an emotional arc much like a Swift album does. There are moments of joy and lightness (Glitter Gel Pen energy), then deeper reflections (Fountain Pen introspection), then gut-punch endings that stay with you. This is a genuinely moving collection that any poetry lover could appreciate, whether they’re a Swift fan or not.
Invisible Strings? is perfect for Swifties who love poetry, writers who appreciate the lyrical quality of songwriting, and anyone who enjoys exploring emotions through multiple artistic lenses. If you’ve ever cried to All Too Well or screamed along to The Lakes, you’ll find something here that resonates. It’s proof that great lyrics don’t just live in songs; they spark ideas, stories, and emotions that keep echoing long after the music fades.
Pages: 282 | ASIN : B0D8CDBJP1
LITERARY TITAN 