Kim Clune Dot Com

My fourth review written for The Pagan and the Pen can be found at the following link:  Book Review: The Bowdancer by Janie Franz. This book was compelling on many levels earning it “top pick” status.

Brava, Janie Franz! Your writing and story has not simply entertained, but my mind dances around the the possibilities of why and how you depicted Jan-nell, your main character, as an outsider. From the color she chooses for her skin to her unique spin on traditional village rituals, Jan-nell is never socially accepted for being different. This social commentary, a reflection of our own cultural shortcomings is interestingly executed from the first page to the last.

The reviews I write are voluntary and I receive no compensation beyond a pleasurable read.

DogTime Media has accepted This One Wild Life (my blog about animal rescue, fostering and adoption) into their blog network. This is terrific news on several fronts.

With roughly 500 contributors including Animal Planet and Petfinder, Dogtime.com receives 22.9 million unique visitors which amount to 320 million page impressions per month. While these stats are for the network and don’t reflect my own blog traffic, my posts can now reach a much larger and targeted audience in order to promote animal rescue while denouncing pet store purchases and puppy mills.

With “Save a Dog” and “Save a Cat” Facebook apps, DogTime Media also works with shelters nationwide to feature real homeless animals which can be fostered virtually through a game-like interface. This not only raises awareness for the homelessness real animals face, but the points earned for petting or feeding the animals online earns real pet food for rescue groups. The more you play, the more DogTime will pay.

I’m pleased to be part of a network that recognizes a bigger picture and eager to celebrate all that animal rescue means to me.

As a recent graduate of the College of Saint Rose, I was invited by editor Ryane McAuliffe Straus, Ph. D. to submit my work for the college’s maiden Journal of Undergraduate Research. Beginning this year, the faculty-reviewed journal will annually publish research from all academic fields to showcase Saint Rose students’ scholarly achievements. Thrilled by the extension to include recent graduates, I dug through my old files, made minor changes based on final grading comments and shipped off my work.

I received a rejection letter on November 30th for my piece on the poetry of Anne Kingsmill Finch.  The rejection came with some deserved criticism. While one reviewer said, “This paper displays a sophisticated and confident command of language and secondary sources,” he/she also said that it drags in the middle and could use more close textual readings. The second reviewer said this piece was worth publishing, but with major revision. It was recommended that I revise and resubmit for the following year’s issue.

Truth be told, I was never driven by pre-romantic peotry in the way that theory and postmodernism classes fueled my interest. I wrote this paper to satisfy my professor and, while I did receive an A, my grade likely reflects my understanding of what was expected rather than any new and exciting contribution. This, I suspect, comes through in my final piece.

While rejection certainly fuels disappointment, mine was short lived. Later that day I received another letter. This one offered provisional acceptance for the second piece I submitted on the film The Last King of Scotland. Now this was exciting news. I worked hard on this paper to shed light on the colonization of Uganda via the cultural ignorance of the Western entertainment industry. After reading my reviewers’ very thorough critiques, there was nothing more satisfying than receiving this final comment: “All in all, however, impressive and interesting!”

As Dr. Straus explained, “Acceptance to the Journal is very competitive; we received over 20 submissions and are able to publish under half of those. As such, you should be very proud of your achievement.” Proud, I am. Beyond the long road of revision and more post-graduation all-nighters than I cared to endure, I feel I’ve honed my best work to date. I have since accepted an invitation to be recognized for having demonstrated “distinguished academic achievement” during the Saint Rose Honors Convocation Ceremony which will be held on March 27th. Perhaps it’s hokey to participate, but this is my first reviewed publication. I’m allowed to be hokey, aren’t I?

Below is the abstract for “Ideological vs. Factual Reality in The Last King of Scotland.” It provides a glimpse at what is now published.

Globalization and economics make the potential for colonization through entertainment media an ever-pressing reality. In the film The Last King of Scotland, the postmodern desire to believe in the political possibility of historiographic metafiction conflicts with the loss of true facts when the film’s unintended and most enthusiastic audience is a nation of Ugandans with a deep desire to learn their national history surrounding Idi Amin’s dictatorship. Comparing history with the concept of historicity illustrates the ways in which Ugandans trust the film’s seemingly factual “reality” while not understanding certain ideological realities created by its fictive devices. Filmmakers, although paying careful attention to Amin’s costumes and settings, intentionally distort the facts surrounding the death of his publicly adored wife, Kay, sacrificing the authenticity of an individual and national experience for the sake of an ideological representation of Western colonization. The determination is that while distortion and colonization are each crimes in their own right, the filmmakers’ profit-driven motive to draw the patronage of Western audiences unwittingly adds another layer of colonization to an already exploited African nation.

Now that this paper is finally in print, perhaps I will revisit that Finch paper after all…

My latest review has been posted at the new The Pagan and The Pen Book Reviews page (now separate from the main site). I gave The Fallen Fae a 4 out of 5 tarot card review. To find out why, visit the link below.

Book Review: The Fallen Fae by Connie Wood

The Pagan and the Pen connects readers with authors, editors and reviewers of the Pagan persuasion within the highly competative business of fiction and publishing. What I love most is the sense of community that this space offers, one which weaves a vibrant tapestry of exploration surrounding issues of equality and acceptance through fiction.

The reviews I write are voluntary and I receive no compensation beyond a pleasurable read.

Welcome to my latest review written for The Pagan and the Pen.

Book Review: Tales of the Dark World Book 3: Fire Season by Lex Valentine

The Pagan and the Pen connects readers with authors, editors and reviewers of the Pagan persuasion within the highly competative business of fiction and publishing.

Upon posting this review, I felt very honored to receive the following letter sent in response by author C. H. Scarlett:

I just want to say that whenever I have a book for review, I would seriously hope you are the one doing it. I just finished reading your latest review and I have to say WELL DONE again. You are like Simon on American Idol (I honestly don’t know how else to put it). When you praise, it means so much more because of how brutally honest and detailed you are. And when you are not praising, it may be hard to swallow, but it is still golden and very constructive, not to mention helpful to the book’s author attempting to perfect their style. Mix that with a heavily seasoned dash of intelligence and a remarkably educated way of weaving it all together, and we have a timeless review. You are a true diamond to the reviewing arena … I seriously hope you realize that.

~Casey~

The reviews I write are voluntary and I receive no compensation beyond a pleasurable read.

Amplify your goodwill and cheer this holiday season! Buy an orphan a pair of shoes. Support an education. Do it in the name of one you love or as a family affair. Learn how in the new VVQ Holiday Gift Guide (PDF) and don’t forget to share it!

My husband Tim and I wrote our first article together covering the kennel side of dog rescue. Creekside Kennel, run by Dawn Niebuhr, is where the AnimaLovers dogs that are up for adoption stay when foster homes aren’t available. Read the article (PDF format) to see why Creekside Kennels is so special.

Welcome to my first?review written?for The Pagan and the Pen.

Book Review: Crimson Dawn: Hallowed Echoes Volume One of the Dimenlien Chronicles by?Myristica

The Pagan and the Pen connects readers with authors, editors?and reviewers?of the Pagan persuasion within the?highly competative?business of fiction and publishing.?I had?stumbled upon the blog when?a short story collection I had read was reviewed there. After?leaving a comment about that book, Unikirja by K. A. Laity, I?have since been welcomed into the reviewers’ fold and I am?thrilled to be part of such a supportive community.

The reviews I write are voluntary?and I receive no compensation beyond?a?pleasurable?read.

The latest issue of VVQ is hot off the press!
In this Issue:

• A Note from Founder and Executive Director, Shana Greene
• Quilts of Love from Dawn Brislawn
• Baby Tasur Expected in December!
• The College of Integrative Medicine Opens in Ghana
• Where in the World is Ramesh Nath Sharma?
• Butterfly Project Scholarship Recipients
• A Special It Takes a Village Party!
• Contact, Subscription & Donation Information