Writing and reading, philosophy, religion, science fiction, fantasy, Alabama football, dogs (especially my yellow lab Heidi), and my website, www.richmondwest.net.
My MySpace friend, Carrie Martin, has a son with this awful disease, and asked her friends to post a banner to help raise awareness:
Good video on Alabama football and integration:
Music
U2, Billy Joel, Boston, Kansas, Don Hendley, the Eagles, Indigo Girls, Frozen Ghost, Sheryl Crow...80's and 90's rock.
Movies
I love almost any kind of movie! My perfect date is going out to the movies. :) Whether it be science fiction, fantasy, romance, comedy, action, or drama. But some of my favorites include Shawshank Redemption, While You Were Sleeping, Dead Poets Society, As Good As It Gets, My Cousin Vinny, Phantom of the Opera, the Color Purple, Groundhog Day, Contact, Gattaca, The Untouchables, Terminator 1-3, Star Wars, Star Trek, Matrix trilogy, Lord of the Rings trilogy...and so many more...
Television
X-Files, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Friends, Seinfeld, the Simpsons.
Books
Daphne Patai's Heterophobia: Sexual Harassment and the Future of Feminism. To Kill a Mockingbird. Their Eyes Were Watching God. Dystopian fiction (1984, Brave New World, We, Kallocain), Tolkien, Harry Potter, science fiction (Dan Simmons and Lois McMaster Bujold especially), fantasy, religion (Bonhoeffer especially), philosophy (Kierkegaard and Nietzsche especially). I also love to read my books! Even if no one else likes them, at least I entertain myself. :)
Heroes
Daphne Patai, Kierkegaard and Nietzsche, Alabama football players, and most especially people who show compassion rather than cruelty.
About me:
My books, Witch Hunt, Your Yesterday Is My Tomorrow, and The Deviants, are now available on Amazon! You can visit my site, www.richmondwest.net, and click the order buttons for links to Amazon. Or go to www.amazon.com, type in "Richmond West Deviants," "Richmond West Your Yesterday," or "Richmond West Witch Hunt."
I'm a writer and a teacher of philosophy, and I'm now in the Philosophy and Literature Ph.D. program at Purdue, a perfect fit for someone like me. Hopefully, I'll get my Ph.D. in hand this time and teach full-time somewhere, so I can continue to write and have a job to fall back on.
Not wishing to be "typecast" into a particular genre in my writing, I write regular fiction, science fiction, and fantasy, all laced with philosophy, religion, sexuality, and ethics (I was a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy and religious studies, and I carry that love into my fiction writing). I strive to write stories that rock your world with action while subtly providing philosophical and ethical thoughts to reflect upon. Quite postmodern, I attempt to promote understanding and compassion surrounding issues of race, gender, sexual orientation, class, the environment, and religious toleration. I'm not afraid to be gritty and risque in my writing, either. Stylistic influences include Dan Simmons, Stephen King, Jim Shooter, Tolkien, Orwell, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche. So far I've written three books, two fantasy/science fiction: The Deviants and Your Yesterday Is My Tomorrow, and another book with sexual themes, Witch Hunt, which is now available! You can order them at www.amazon.com or at www.lulu.com.
In my newest book, Witch Hunt, I am critical of "hostile environment" sexual "harassment" law (not quid pro quo sexual harassment law, which I support). When people can be slammed for asking someone out, or telling a joke, we have gone way too far, and I shudder to think how these laws can be applied against gays, lesbians, and queer people in the future. They sure have impacted me as a white, "straight" male. Not a lot of people like to talk about these issues, but I sure confront them in my work.
My yellow lab, Heidi, the love of my life, even stars in The Deviants! You have to check it out. I love dogs. I love cats, too, but sadly I'm allergic to them. Take a look at my website: www.richmondwest.net.
Also, see excerpts from my books and other writings posted in my blog, above.
Passionate and provocative, this novel, a spiritual and
pathological journey, hits the issue of our society's sexual McCarthyism head-on, particularly as it manifests in abuses of "hostile environment" sexual "harassment" law. Lupe Diego, a lapsed Catholic philosophy professor with a feminine Spanish name, faces accusations after a relationship goes sour. Encountering gender prejudice along the way, plus faced with losing his career, Lupe struggles to find a renewed faith. Even as he sees gay friends fall under a wave of charges, when tyrannical sexual ideology rocks the campus....But Lupe pays a
high price for opposing his society: in sinking into what is called "schizophrenia," Lupe finds that the greatest struggle may be for his own sanity.
Coming soon: ORDER ON AMAZON! Go to www.amazon.com and type in "Richmond West Witch Hunt."
A love story that would bind the lovers throughout time! What if a Buddha married a God?
Rusty Shields, down on his luck, hears a mysterious female
voice. She claims to be Diana, his twin flame, his immortal love—his soul mate. And Diana tells Rusty he is really Sodol-kai, a buddha-to-be who has encountered her in many lifetimes.
Rusty’s family and his doctors believe he suffers from
schizophrenia. While in a mental hospital, Rusty writes about his past lives. Is he really suffering from schizophrenia, or is a goddess calling him from the stars? Only the reader can decide.
But when the good karma runs out, will Sodol-kai lose his
greatest love?
Join us on an adventure through sexual, ethical,
philosophical, and theological issues. Is this book, filled with religious reflection and philosophy, an example of magical realism or fantasy? Read this genre-defying tale by master storyteller and former philosophy professor Richmond West and find out why…
YOUR YESTERDAY IS MY TOMORROW!
ORDER ON AMAZON! Go to www.amazon.com and type in "Richmond West Your Yesterday"
The Deviants (sci fi/fantasy--suggested for mature readers due to sex and violence)--On an earth ruled by the Immortals, some people...just want to be different. The Deviant gene allows them to express their greatest desire. Johnny Knight, a Cherokee with cheek and a postmodern prophet of pizzazz, leads a super-powered team on a defiant romp through sexual, philosophical, and theological issues, as well as butt-kicking action.
ORDER ON AMAZON! Go to www.amazon.com and type in "Richmond West Deviants"
You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this.
You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.
Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.
It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.
But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.
You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.
You are introverted, reserved, and quiet with a preference for solitude and solitary activities. Your socializing tends to be restricted to a few close friends. You are generally calm and composed, reacting moderately well to situations that most people would describe as stressful. Novelty, variety, and change spice up your life and make you a curious, imaginative, and creative person. You have a strong interest in others' needs and well-being. You are pleasant, sympathetic, and cooperative. You are reasonably reliable, organized, and self-controlled.
It's been a juggernaut, but "IF THE RAINS DON'T CLEANSE" (my novel about my parents' experiences as schoolteachers in 1950s Africa) is finally available on Amazon.com. In fact, it's selling so well it was marked "out of stock" for several days -- thank God they're now still shipping it.
It's getting strong reviews and a grown-up readership -- I'm thrilled.
I invite you to visit my MySpace blog to read an excerpt.
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This app is seriously awesome, but it would be way more fun if we could play together. What are you waiting for? Do it now!
Thanks so much for adding me. It's great to meet other book-lovers and people who understand that fiction is as important to "real life" as, well, real life.
That's for the ADD!!! Please stop by and check out my Holistic Dog Health Group I started. Tips on how to take better care of our dogs and topics that are answered by my trainers and as well as myself. A great way to share and network our ideas to help others...There are links to great products that I have been using for the past 9 years as well as my trainers. There will be other dog owners and professionals alike to help answer all of our questions. Discounts on 100% Holistic pet supplements and Food. . See the links on my page...Hope to see and hear from you.
*Note: The bottom right of the box reads [ENTER CONTEST] [VIDEOS] Click on [Videos] The top right of the box reads [MOST RECENT] [HIGHEST RATED] Click on highest rated. You will see me in a Star Trek TOS yellow shirt shaking hands with Danny Bonaduce. Click on that small picture to the right of me and Danny. My video will start playing to the left.
My video is listed as: Star Trek is my... Gary B.
To vote: just go to the top of my video and it reads: Rate video ^^^^^ (click on the 5th delta shield and it will come up "SUPERB"
That's me Gary (a.k.a.) Mr. Spock, Chekov,Sulu,Captain Kirk,Uhura,Scotty and Spock 2004 LA.
That's me, Captain Gary Barclay Starbase 06 CO accepting Starbase of the year award from Fleet Admiral Andy Sams.
Hey, we just wanted to drop by to let you know that we have posted our Fall issue of Artistic Pursuit magazine on our website at artisticpursuit. org. It has some of our favorite Myspace and Artistic Pursuit artists spotlighted. Please check it out and support your fellow independent and amateur artists. We also have listed the top artists for the month of November. Be sure to check to see if you're one of them. Here's a video about our Magazine and winners.
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