Soul Meets Blog

This is the story of a young man who may or may not be a little down on his luck financially, and who may or may not be a complete and total idiot. One evening, this intrepid young man was traveling home from book club, when he ran out of gas on Storrow Drive. This had happened to him before, so he knew to cruise his car into a decent holding place on the side of Beacon Street.

He had no cash on him, a common occurrence.

Although I'll be getting paid for copy-editing, it looks like I'm also going to be co-writing a weekly column about Sex & Relationships for UMass Boston's student-run newspaper, The Mass Media.

As for content, my friend Desi and I will solicit emailed questions about sex & relationships and answer them. We'll also include an article each week about various topics like "Abstinence, safer sex, & birth control," "Abortion on Campus", "Aphrodisiacal Cooking Favorites", "Dating Questions", "Developing a Code of Sexual Ethics", "When is it abuse? Uncovering Sexual Violence," "Orgasms for All," Sex and Spirituality", "Sober Sex Or F--ed up F--ing?", "Being a Parent and Going Back to School", "Dealing with Your Parents' Sex Life", etc.

We'll also explore alternative experiences of students on the UMass Boston campus, for example interviewing my friend who used to be a dominatrix for pay in the Boston area, going to "Queer-a-oke" in Jamaica Plain, and "Celebrating the Body Electric."

First Issue is due on shelves September 5. Anyone got a burning question? (Not literarlly, I hope. ;) Email: silmarile [ AT ] hotmail . com. Go for it already. Answers are anonymously addressed, of course.

When most Americans think of Scotland, we think of Braveheart, Trainspotting, or whisky. True scotophiles may also think of MacBeth or Monarch of the Glen.

In addition to its long and often bloody history, Scotland also has a history of producing great names in popular and independent rock music. Children of the 80s may remember Annie Lennox, Simple Minds, and the Cocteau Twins. Perhaps you’ve also heard of KT Tunstall, Del Amitri, Franz Ferdinand, Belle & Sebastian, Average White Band, The Reindeer Section or Primal Scream?

Having volunteered for The Samaritans in college, having dear friends who've been acutely suicidal, and having seriously considered suicide myself several times in the past, I cannot stress enough my horror at learning about the currently impending fate of The National Hopeline (1.800-SUICIDE), a private and completely confidential helpline. Due to the continuing idiocy of recent appointments to various governmental agencies, this important resource is in danger of closing... Please read on.

copyright 2006, S. Donovan Mullaney.

Here's the poem I was supposed to read this morning during the service at Arlington Street.

Pulling out the ruler,
picking up the cup,
I’m measuring his attractiveness
by how fast I load up.
Measuring
his laughter’s decibels—
Is he donkey bray,
cat growl/purr,
chicken cluck, or turkey cackles?

I was given the opportunity to speak today at two services. One was at a Gay Men's Spirituality service at Arlington Street Church, Unitarian Universalist, where I am "poet-in-residence", the other a young adult service at First Church of Boston, also UU, around the corner. First Church broadcasts their Sunday services on WERS, Boston, 88.9 FM.

Here's what I read at both services:

"Too often today, I hear certain radio hosts and talk-show pundits using their first-amendment protected soapboxes to whine and grandstand about how artist/entertainers like the Dixie Chicks and Bruce Springsteen ought to 'shut up about politics and just make music.' [ Author's Note: I kind of like what Scarborough has to say on the subject, i.e., he doesn't like the politics, but he ignores it in favor of the music.]

If any of those pundits are here or are listening today, I stand here to say that the more you try to take art out of political discourse, the more our art will reflect the politics of disenfranchisement and rightful anger. And the louder we will be.

24 High Street, Medford, MA
781-391-7171
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Public Transport: take Red Line to 94 or 96 bus. Cars: take exit 32 for Medford Sq/Rte 60 off I-93 North of Boston. Free parking!

I'm opening and reading between sets for my friend, Somerville singer-songwriter Keith Hampton, during his unplugged afternoon performance. Keith is super-talented, understands irony, and has quality lyrics.