"Poetry in my view is a defence of the individual against all the forces arrayed against him. Every religion, every ideology and orthodoxy of thought and manner wants to re-educate him and make him into something else. To sing from the same sheet is the ideal. A true patriot doesn’t think for himself, they’ll tell [...]

Arseface is an unforgettable character from the "Preacher" graphic-novel series by writer Garth Ennis and artists Steve Dillon & Glen Fabry  (http://www.dccomics.com/vertigo/graphic_novels/?gn=1645 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preacher_%28comics%29).  It is my favourite series of graphic novels, bar none.  Not even the great Alan Moore (Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, etc. etc.) can top this. The Preacher in the [...]

Roya Shams is 16. She goes to a poorly funded Afghan/Canadian school even though her neighbours think it’s a shocking betrayal of their way of life. She wants to go to university and become a politician. She lives in Taliban territory, where men beat women for exposing their fingernails. What are her chances? Roya Shams [...]

Does the above phrase offend you?  It riles me too, but there’s a case for it.  Not an ism-related one, thank you — people who try to make art behave according to political or religious dictates should be culled.  No, my argument is simply that I can only wholeheartedly embrace beauty if it is accompanied [...]