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An
Established-Order Academic/Literary Rogue's Gallery
Of Enemies of Vigorous
Debate, Cornerstone of Democracy
We have become intolerably tired of scolding the rogues
and dunces of this village
to no purpose. The more shrilly we clamor against them
the more irreclaimable
they become. It has just dawned upon us in the light of
a revelation, that
mere verbal satire is a delusion and a cheat—that the
battles of intellect are waged with stuffed
clubs—that the pen is not only less mighty than the
sword, but is even
inferior to a well-wielded hand-saw...
—Ambrose
Bierce
P. Maudit, the cartoonist
sobriquet of the editor, was autodidactically born in 1998 to illustrate The
American Dissident, eventually became a paid feature on another website, and was almost
hired by the academic publication Adjunct Advocate (see
Literary Corruption
for an account of that confrontation). Whenever
possible, the editor informs the individuals criticized
in the satirical cartoons to hopefully foment, what
academics and established-order literati detest
most: free speech and vigorous debate. The responses received are included
below and elsewhere. When real
persons are depicted, the dialogue in P. Maudit's
cartoons is not fabricated but obtained via email correspondence or from magazines and books.
(Click on
the image to make it larger.) |
February 2008—John Amen, Editor,
Pedestal Magazine. For more on John's odd vision of democracy,
see also www.theamericandissident.org/BookReviews-BestAmericanPoetry2007.htm |
September 2007—Dr. Encarna Abella, Grambling
State University (Grambling, LA), Stasi-like
informant |
August 2007—Gary Snyder, Academy of American
Poets Chancellor |
|
July 2007—Christine Klocek-Lim, Site
Censor for the Academy of American
Poets |
July 2007—Prof. Cary Nelson,
Pres. of Amer. Assoc. Univ. Profs.
|
June 2007—American Studies Prof.
Lori
Pierce (DePaul University) |
May 2007—The Professor as
university PR man. Dr. John Knesel,
University of Louisiana at Monroe |
April 2007—English Professor William
Pannapacker, Hope College (WI)
|
March 2007—English Professor
William Ryan, Editor of Turnrow
(University of Louisiana at Monroe) |
Februrary 2007—Ian Thal, mime,
critic, poet, ex-member of the
board of directors, Stone Soup Poets,
Cambridge, MA (see Thal's
comments
regarding this cartoon) |
January 2007—All Things Not Considered:
Andrei Codrescu and Lawrence Ferlinghetti
(See the lengthy email battle this cartoon
provoked between Ian Thal of
Ibbetson
Press and the editor). |
December 2006—Dan Latimer and
Virginia Kouidis, Southern Humanities
Review
|
|
November 2006—see
Casey and Denise Hill,
NewPages.com
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October 2006—Poet Laureate Hall
|
September 2006—Jack Hirschman
|
August 2006—Therese Eiben, Suzanne Pettypiece, and Kevin Larimer, Senior Editor,
Poets & Writers magazine CENSORS |
August 2006—Kevin Larimer, Senior Editor,
Poets & Writers magazine
|
July 2006—Guggenheim Fellow,
Cole Swensen, and JonThompson
|
June 2006—see
Denis Dutton & Tran Huu Dung
|
May 2006—Jack Powers & Stone Soup Poets |
April 2006—Lyn Lifshin & Laura Stamps |
March 2006—Harold Bloom |
January—Dana Goodyear |
December—Landis Everson
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November—J. D. McClatchy
|
October—Flux Factory |
September—John Thomas |
August—Professor Derek D.
Turner |
July—Professor Gerald Locklin
|
June—Martin Espada & Robert
Creeley |
May—John W. Barr |
April—Doug Holder |
March—Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize for
Criticism |
Comments from the Lampooned
From:
"Tran Huu Dung" <tran.dung@wright.edu>
To: "'George Slone'" <todslone@yahoo.com>, constant.force@netaccess.co.nz
Subject: RE: Cartoon of
the Month
Date: Sat, 3 Jun 2006 10:56:52 -0400
Omigod! I’ve died and go to
heavens!
An unbelievable honor! Many,
many many many thanks!
Sincerely,
Tran Huu Dung
Managing Editor
Arts & Letters Daily
http://www.aldaily.com
[N.B.: Dutton and Dung refuse to list The
American Dissident next to other lit journals listed on its site. I queried The
Chronicle of Higher Education, which hosts D&D's page, as to why some lit journals
were permitted on the site, while others prohibited, and received a lame answer
from Jeanne Ferris, Senior Editor, The Chronicle Review,
which was surprising since I didn't expect a response at all: "The Chronicle owns Arts & Letters Daily, but they are pretty much
separate from The Chronicle of Higher Education, and completely separate
from The Chronicle Review, the opinion section where I work, so I can't comment
about Arts & Letters Daily."
...................................................................................................................................................................
From: "Doug HOLDER" <ibbetsonpress@msn.com>
To:
todslone@yahoo.com
Subject: Hi Tod!
Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 16:24:29 -0400
Loved that cartoon of me, "I" am going to send it
around you are a very talented young man!
Doug Holder
http://www.ibbetsonpress.com
From:
todslone@yahoo.com
To: "Doug HOLDER" <ibbetsonpress@msn.com>
Subject: Hi Tod!
Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 13:42:38 -0700 (PDT)
Hi Doug,
Well, I'm not that young! I'm probably older than you. Keep in mind there is
no hatred whatsoever in my heart for anyone. I am simply a critic in the vein
of say Pope, Swift, and Byron.
Sincerely,
G. Tod
From: "Doug HOLDER" <ibbetsonpress@msn.com>
To:
todslone@yahoo.com
Subject: Hi Tod!
Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 16:49:50 -0400
Tod it is an honor to be dissed by you you habe been on my rear for many years
now!
From:
todslone@yahoo.com
To: "Doug HOLDER" <ibbetsonpress@msn.com>
Subject: Hi Tod!
Date: Sat, 20 May 2006 14:29:37 -0700 (PDT)
Doug,
Well, I'm always open to debate. "Diss" of course is a pejorative term for
valid critique.
T.
From:
todslone@yahoo.com
To: "Doug HOLDER" <ibbetsonpress@msn.com>
Subject: Thank you
Date:
Thu, 8 Jun
2006 15:24:51 -0700 (PDT)
Hi Doug,
A friend of mine informed me that you mentioned The American Dissident in your
newsletter and sent me a copy. Many thanks. I shall note your unusual
openness (unusual for a poet!) on the cartoon page. Much appreciated.
Sincerely,
G. Tod
PS: You might wish to tell Jack Powers that he
was lampooned last month.
..................................................................................................................................................................
Date: Sat, 1
Oct 2005 12:44:34 -0700 (PDT)
From: "George Slone" <todslone@yahoo.com>
Subj: Cartoon of the Month: Flux Factory
To: info@fluxfactory.org
Dear Flux Factory:
This email is to inform you that Flux Factory is the subject of The American
Dissident Cartoon of the Month of October. You may view the cartoon and even
comment on it by consulting The AD webpage
www.theamericandissident.org. Hey, how about exchanging links?
Sincerely,
G. Tod Slone, editor
The American Dissident
Subj:
Cartoon of the Month:
Flux Factory
From: "info@fluxfactory.org" <info@fluxfactory.org>
To: "George Slone" <todslone@yahoo.com>
CC: "Aya Kakeda" <akakeda@aol.com>, "Jean Barberis" <jean@fluxfactory.org>,
"kerry downey" <kerry@fluxfactory.org>, "Morgan Meis" <morgan@fluxfactory.org>,
"Seb Santamaria" <sebastien@fluxfactory.org>, nick@geekathon.net, "FLUX-HOUSE"
<house@fluxfactory.org>
Hi George,
Thanks for letting us know. I have to admit that I’m not sure I understand the
critique put forth in this cartoon, but certainly thank you for thinking of us.
We are quite flattered. Your publication looks interesting.
Warm regards,
Stefany
--
Stefany Anne Golberg
Executive Director
Flux Factory, Inc.
http://www.fluxfactory.org
718-707-3362
ALL MATERIAL ON THIS SITE IS COPYRIGHT ©G. Tod
Slone, 2008, The American Dissident
www.theamericandissident.org.
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