Category Archives: Reflections

What I Want from AI

Posted on November 2, 2023 by Brenton Dickieson

Artificial intelligence is all the rage these days. While there is good reason to doubt the truthfulness of the title, GenAI–generative artificial intelligence–public attention is deeper than the media, either the social or unsocial kind. In my world, writers, artists, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Age of Ultron, AI, Artificial Intelligence, curiosity, ethics, GenAI, Inquiry Studies, Iron Man, J.A.R.V.I.S., Marvel Cinematic Universe, Science Fiction, Teaching, UPEI | 6 Comments

Living in a World with Octobers: An Anne of Green Gables Greeting from Prince Edward Island

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Brenton Dickieson

It is another gorgeous and breezy October day here in Prince Edward Island. Our Autumns usually begin about the third week of August: the evenings turn cool while fine days are punctuated with ocean storms. An early tilt to Fall … Continue reading →

Posted in L.M. Montgomery, Reflections | Tagged Anne of Green Gables, Anne With an E, Bruce Cockburn, fairy tales, fantasy, fantasy studies, Kevin Sullivan, L.M. Montgomery, Literary Theory, Lucy Maud Montgomery, myth, Prince Edward Island, Science Fiction | 6 Comments

Sharp Novel Minds and Pithy First Lines, with Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dorothy Sayers, Geo. MacDonald, G.K. Chesterton, Ray Bradbury, N.K. Jemisin, Nalo Hopkinson, Margaret Atwood and more!

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Brenton Dickieson

Sacrificial Fire for Fickle Gods (2023) by Brenton Dickieson O! to speak life-words of fire In a fashion sweet and plain: For pith-like wit, ink-painted flight, A Titan’s theft of flame. Lo! in conjuring these trickster lords, Who rule not … Continue reading →

Posted in Creative Writing, Memorable Quotes, Reflections | Tagged Albert Camus, books, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Dorothy L. Sayers, George MacDonald, Harry Potter, Herman Melville, Invisible Man, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jane Austen, L'Étranger, literature, Lord of the Rings, Margaret Atwood, Moby Dick, N.K. Jemisin, Nalo Hopkinson, Narnia, Pride and Prejudice, Ralph Ellison, That Hideous Strength, The Hobbit, The Voyage of The Dawn Treader, writing | 32 Comments

Many Times and Many Places: C.S. Lewis and the Value of History by Alan Snyder and Jamin Metcalf

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Brenton Dickieson

Avid C.S. Lewis readers will know that he is more than any one of his profiles—the Narnian, an apologist for everyday folk, a controversialist, and the like. I have been working for some time to help readers avoid narrowing their … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged Alan Snyder, C.S. Lewis, History, literary history, Many Times and Many Places, Perelandra | 6 Comments

“Your Fingers Would Remember Their Old Strength Better, if They Grasped a Sword-hilt.” Gandalf and The Healing of Théoden by Stephen Winter

Posted on July 7, 2023 by Brenton Dickieson

Originally posted on Wisdom from The Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien (Harper Collins 1991, 2007) pp. 671-677 It is in the record for the 2nd of March in the year 3019 of the Third Age…