Thursday, October 28, 2010

Notes Introducing a New Blog

Brass Castle Arts is a potpourri of my various interests, professional endeavors, hobbies, vocations and avocations, and other sideline activities. 

I intend this blog to showcase my own written work, primarily in the form of profiles of well-known and little-known American characters and events, primarily from the 19th Century.  Also in the works are two novels, parts of which I may decide to post here.  Sometimes I will have a short story of fiction to offer.

I also would like to promote the work and interests of some of my friends, such as Paul W., a World War II veteran who is recording his life experiences (which are fascinating and highly unusual) in the form of novels, one story of which he has just published this year.  Other friends are involved in living history performances, bringing to life for modern audiences such notable individuals as Abraham Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, and Queen Victoria.

Some of my friends also research unusual aspects of American and European history, and write articles on topics as diverse as the origins of croquet, when Punch & Judy puppetry came to the United States, party favors made of marshmallow at high-society Victorian teas, and the role of foreign observers of the American Civil War.  Who knows what you (or I) may find in these electronic pages?

I am not particularly political.  Although my postings may occasionally wander into political themes, they will not be intended as essays of opinion on modern political issues.  Any politics dealt with on this blog will mostly be several decades old.  I may wax eloquent, however, on patriotic and heritage themes, which are sometimes tinged with political undertones.

I plan to post once a week or so.  I am hoping that having a blog out there, with a potential (and perhaps unknown) audience hanging on my every word, will inspire me to a level of discipline by which I can meet this posting goal.  If I come close, I'll learn a lot from researching and writing my posts, and maybe you will, too.