The latest book banning controversy was triggered by the complaint of a parent. — Author’s Note I should disclose at the outset I am against book banning in any form. As a student of philosophy and culture, I will add I am not religious yet have read two translations of The Holy Bible. …

That writer is me. Here is a look as to what has passed, and what is ahead. — It’s been a minute since I shared professional updates. So, bumps in the road and all, this near-59-year-old writer will share the good, the bad, and the hideous. Why am I doing this? The intention is to give inspiration to those tempted to give up. Prior to COVID I had…

Creatives are notorious for not attending to the business issues behind their craft, and even industry pros can be careless in that regard. — I’m one of those “industry pros.” Regardless, I’ll begin this one with a hoped-for stab of inspiration, as opposed to anything negative (though we’ll get there too): As a writer-producer my projects have sold to FOX, CBS, TNT, Ovation Network, Amazon, Sony, Warner Brothers, etc. I have current deals as…

An excellent blog-type title; if you can skew it as a news-type piece it can perform on NewsBreak. Otherwise, unsure. Can anyone else here help Bonnie?

However, as I’ve stated many times over, a writer should never work so hard in a creator economy as they do on Medium for minimal pay. — Intro I started at zero followers on NewsBreak less than two years ago. And then there’s Medium, a platform with massive potential we all see, but one that chronically disrespects its contributors. In the sense of contributor respect, Medium has become a colossal joke. Never before in my years of writing…

Submitted: A drastic overhaul of the U.S. government will not happen anytime soon, but may well serve several masters. — Introduction Run with me on this one. Prior to 1789 the United States had no president. As we count down to 2023, has it become time to reconsider our modern-day rules of politics? Has the office become too big and unwieldy for a single “leader of the free world?” …

I’ve fought for writers and the elimination of scams. I value my time, so I’ll be writing on Medium less until writers here are respected more. — I have been writing on Medium inconsistently for five years, or thereabouts. Historically, my articles have focused on pop-culture and the craft and business of writing. Of late, however, my articles targeted the myriad writing-related scams I’ve found on this platform. …

The controversial Netflix feature inspired by the life of Marilyn Monroe is being admonished for its liberties and dark themes. However, neither the film nor the novel that preceded it were marketed as fact-based. — “Blonde,” the second feature film based on Joyce Carol Oates’ 2000 bestselling novel, is presently streaming on Netflix and has caused waves of consternation since its release. For information on the first version, a two-part 2001 CBS miniseries starring Poppy Montgomery, you can find TV Insider’s piece here.

It appears the identified plagiarist is now under investigation by this platform. — Sometimes, it pays to keep one’s eyes open. The following is my original article that caused some fuss (in a good way): Busted: Medium Scam Exposed The alleged “author” of the article didn’t so much as try to hide the plagiarism.joeleisenberg.medium.com “Busted: Medium Scam Exposed” detailed a near-line-for-line plagiarist who veritably copied an online article, and claimed it as her own, in an apparent effort to make money off…