In Defense of Books

A year or two ago my friend Brewster Kahle told me he had been asking people, “when is the last time you read a book? Cover to cover?” Predictably, the answers were discouraging. In the age of the Internet, people still talk about books, praise books, and condemn books; but actually reading books is rare. … Continue reading “In Defense of Books”

Hypervigilance and Social Media

Some of you may know I embarked on a social media fast a few months ago. A big part of my recovery has been writing by hand. I am gradually transcribing those pearls of wisdom gleaned from my notebooks, but it’s taking a while. Jumping ahead of my backlog, here is today’s entry, hopefully to … Continue reading “Hypervigilance and Social Media”

SEDER-MASOCHISM: A free public screening, featuring a panel discussion with filmmaker Nina Paley immediately following the movie

At The Virginia Theater, Champaign IL, May 8 @7pm Date/Time(s): Wed, May 8, 2019 – 7pm (doors open at 6pm) Seating: General Admission Tickets: FREE and open to the public (2018) 78 Min, Not RatedLoosely following a traditional Passover Seder, events from the Book of Exodus are retold by Moses, Aharon, the Angel of Death, … Continue reading “SEDER-MASOCHISM: A free public screening, featuring a panel discussion with filmmaker Nina Paley immediately following the movie”

Blacklisted, Bullied, Threatened and Libeled

Robert Naiman, a local Urbana-Champaign activist and Jew, wanted to see my new film, Seder-Masochism, in a theater, during the week of Passover. So he arranged to rent the Art Theater for April 23rd. Then this happened: March 29, 2019Jerry PayonkPresident, Board of Directors, the Art Film Foundation Dear Mr. Payonk, I wish to rent the … Continue reading “Blacklisted, Bullied, Threatened and Libeled”

PRESS RELEASE: Seder-Masochism to go Public Domain January 31, 2019

—PRESS RELEASE— On Thursday, January 31, Nina Paley will dedicate her new feature film Seder-Masochism to the public domain, releasing master files on archive.org. Seder-Masochism, an animated musical, loosely follows the Passover Seder story, with events from the Book of Exodus retold by Moses, Aharon, the Angel of Death, Jesus and the director’s father. The … Continue reading “PRESS RELEASE: Seder-Masochism to go Public Domain January 31, 2019”