Stephen Talks

The House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol held its tenth and potentially final hearing last week. Here is my recap and my thoughts on their findings and conclusions, and on its bearing on the upcoming midterm elections.

The House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol held its tenth and potentially final hearing last week. Here is my recap and my thoughts on their findings and conclusions.

Even when there isn't a president or a governor or a member of Congress on the ballot, every election matters, as does every vote.

This episode of the "Game of Thrones" spin-off "House of the Dragon" has made a lot of people uncomfortable (even though, as GOT fans, they *really* should be used to this kind of stuff by now). Content warning: I will be discussing sex, incest, and matters of consent in this episode.

The first Star Trek movie, released in 1979, has garnered a lot of criticism for its slow pacing and lack of action, especially compared to the next movie in the franchise, The Wrath of Khan. But does it deserve a reputation for being one of the "worst" movies in the franchise? I talk about why I think it's an underrated film in this episode.

The Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol held two more public hearings in July. This is my summary of their findings.

The House Committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 has begun to release its findings to the American people and to the world. Here is a brief recap of what we've learned so far. I don't care what political party you are. I don't care who you voted for. You have to know that this is important. You have to know what happened. And you have to know what needs to be done about it. Here is a link to the Committee's YouTube channel where you can watch the full hearings, both the ones that have already aired and the ones scheduled for the future: https://www.youtube.com/c/January6thCmte/videos

If the Founders could see all the people, especially the children, who have died by gun violence, would they still have written the 2nd Amendment? My thoughts on the school shooting in Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on why we need gun control, and why the 2nd Amendment is not an absolute right.

Worldbuilding is one of a writer's most important tasks. Whatever you write, whether it's regular fiction or science fiction, whether it's for books, movies, comics, television, or even video games, you need to build a strong foundation for it. You need to build a world for it.

The United States Supreme Court is about to rule (again) on whether or not women have the right to an abortion. I talk here about who should have a say in that decision.

Many writers debate the use and necessity of maps, prologues, and epilogues in fiction. These are just some of my thoughts on the subjects.

April is Autism Acceptance Month. What's the difference between "acceptance" and "awareness", and why is it so important to people who are actually autistic?

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. Is that really all there is to it? I talk about why I think there's a lot more.

Star Trek as a franchise has always been "woke"; and with all the new series and episodes coming out (so to speak), it has the opportunity to boldly go where no series has gone before.

I've always been a writer, and a few years ago, I decided it was time to start acting like a professional one; and that meant paying taxes like one. You can find links to my ebooks on my website, http://stephens.website/, and you can contact me for inquiries about reviews at stephen@stephens.website.

So long as the people who planned and perpetrated this attack go free, and so long as there are those who seek to distort the facts about it, we'll never heal, and we'll never be united. That is why we can never forget January 6th.

Star Trek Discovery just began its 4th season, and the demand for it is higher than ever. Unfortunately, the haters are louder than ever.

Thousands of people are murdered with guns every year in the United States, including hundreds of mass shootings. We need meaningful gun control legislation at every level.

I got the first shot of the Moderna vaccine today, and I talk here a little about that experience.

They've released the Snyder Cut. "Zack Snyder's Justice League" is now a bona fide worldwide phenomenon. What now?