Tag Archives: History

Part 2 of Martha’s Children begins, and on city boundaries

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Martha’s Children takes a sharp turn as part 2 begins with chapter 13, “He sleeps by day, more than the wildcat.” And like a wildcat, Sherlock Kammen dislikes being bothered, unless it’s for a darned good reason. Being turned into … Continue reading →

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In pursuit of a history of spiritual shaking

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Brian Bixby

After being sick for a month, I decided to get out of the house and go visit the former site of a Shaker village. Most Americans these days, if they think of the Shakers at all, think of their finely … Continue reading →

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Two birthdays related to magic and Hollywood on April 23

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Brian Bixby

It’s time to celebrate the complexities of America’s Madonna/whore complex about women with the birthdays of Marjorie Cameron (1922-1995) and Sandra Dee (1942-2005). It would be easy to categorize Dee as the Madonna and Cameron as the whore. But things … Continue reading →

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The land of the dead

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Brian Bixby

I grew up among the dead. My local landscape was inhabited by stories about ancestors who had lived and died in nearby places for centuries. My mental landscape was haunted by ghost stories. I had relatives who ran a funeral … Continue reading →

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Chapter 6 of Martha’s Children, and Chicago Bronzeville

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Brian Bixby

“Bleeding in Bronzeville,” chapter 6 of Martha’s Children, is now available. Ned finally gets  out of the basement to go visiting with Martha! But the friends of a vampire are, shall we say, a trifle unusual, not exactly the sort of … Continue reading →

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Chapter 5 of Martha’s Children and Chicago sociology

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Brian Bixby

“Fighting Martha,” chapter five of Martha’s Children, is now available. Ned’s getting loose! Hooray! But the very next thing he has to do is fight Martha! Ned is going to find out just how tough the vampire Martha Fokker really is. … Continue reading →

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The end of the Knights Templar, 1314

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Today marks the 699th anniversary of one of the major steps in the destruction of the Knights Templar: the burning of the last Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, as a relapsed heretic. It was one of the last acts in … Continue reading →

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Chicago 1968: politics as riot

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Brian Bixby

In Martha’s Children, Martha and her fellow vampires end up in a war with the Chicago cops when they come to that city for the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Their experience resembles that of many of the people who came to … Continue reading →

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Chapter 2 of Martha’s Children, and the Sixties

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Brian Bixby

“Home schooling, vampire style,” chapter 2 of Martha’s Children, is now available for you to read. Ned thinks being a vampire is his only problem. By the time Martha teaches him a thing or two, he’s going to find out differently. … Continue reading →

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Vampires in Chicago

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Brian Bixby

Those of you who are reading the new story, Martha’s Children, realize it’s quite a bit different from The Dragon Lady of Stockbridge. It’s about vampires in Chicago. I don’t strive to provide cliffhangers at the end of every chapter. It’s not … Continue reading →

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