This post is nothing so lofty as the title might suggest. I just wanted to take a bit of time and review, reflect and clarify on this Sunday evening. Chat a bit about a few things. Spinozablue is nearing its eighth month, and its evolution is ongoing. For instance, my blog posts started out as mostly very quick snaps and now have taken on a longer form. They remain unfinished, informal, unpolished and full of holes, but they now sustain that through more paragraphs. Their primary function, however, remains the same. To supplement the writers published below.
They also act as a kind of way-back machine for me. I remember books, movies, music and philosophies from yesterday and try to make that memory appear on the page. Writing about art brings that art in front of me again, helps it live again for another day. It’s also a way for me to renew an interest in something that strikes me now as worthy of renewal. At the same time I’m hoping that my modest project will provoke others to make similar discoveries. Other blog posts have been about art, music, movies or books that I have encountered recently, and those are, in many ways, easier to write about. My reaction is stil fresh in that case, and doesn’t require much digging.
Taken together, this recapturing of the past and present on the page is enjoyable for me, whether or not others find it of interest. Some critics of the blog format lambaste it for its supposed element of vanity. Some even view it as deeply narcissistic. It brings a smile to my face when I envision a writer, staring at the screen, drinking his or her coffee, getting up again to pace around the room, as they try to come up with an interesting way to say no one is interested in what bloggers have to say.
But, then, I digress.
The main purpose of Spinozablue is to publish others, not me. I’m looking for a solid volume of submissions to wade through, exciting and fresh articles about favorite books, writers, artists, musicians and philosophers … new takes on old schools, themes, eras, critiques … or fresh new takes on everything that is fresh and new about the arts. In short, the purpose of Spinozablue is to be a vehicle for new writing about the Humanities, without the bottleneck gatekeepers sometimes put on such efforts. So far, I have been lucky to find many talented authors. I hope to find many more.
Until next time .…
