I know it had been over the last few weeks to a month since I have read and commented, but I have been reading very occasionally my notifications here on Vocal. Actually, over the past few weeks to probably a month I have been working on my study books that I have been writing, and I plan on publishing on Amazon when completed. I do have some good news to report for I believe that I mentioned that I have a volunteer book reviewing job for a magazine by the name of Story Monsters Ink for the past couple years along with a few others, but this past week I have been hired as a paid book reviewer for the online version of Story Monsters Ink and I have been reading and reviewing a few eBooks already for them already. I am sure glad that I like to read for the publisher wants reviews in 10 days after receiving an assigned book. I do plan on continuing to write, read and comment here on Vocal too.
About the Creator
Mark Graham
I am a person who really likes to read and write and to share what I learned with all my education. My page will mainly be book reviews and critiques of old and new books that I have read and will read. There will also be other bits, too.
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More stories from Mark Graham and writers in Critique and other communities.
Catching Up
I know I have not been reading and commenting a lot these past couple weeks, but I have been reading and writing in my old-fashioned composition books and preparing some of those writings for here on Vocal. I have also been researching and writing my study books. I do have one wish for my subscribers here on Vocal.media.com and that is that everyone will have a great year. I do have a request and would like some follow-up on some of my older work and would you guys read or re-read my material and share your thoughts for I am thinking of putting together an anthology.
By Mark Graham11 days ago in Critique
Standing While Falling
Quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche "He who wrestles long with monsters should beware lest he himself become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. Man is not destroyed by suffering, but by the meaning he makes of it."
By LUCCIAN LAYTH19 days ago in Critique
Homo Narrans Vs. Phono Sapiens
Peter Ayolov, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Abstract This article examines the contemporary shift from storytelling as a shared, dialogical practice to storyselling as a performative, market-oriented mode of self-presentation. Drawing on Byung-Chul Han’s book The Crisis of Narration, the analysis argues that narration has lost its primary social function: the creation of a common symbolic world sustained through reciprocal exchange. Traditional storytelling depended on at least two participants and unfolded as a movement back and forth, producing memory, cohesion, and future-oriented meaning. In contrast, storyselling treats narrative as a one-directional instrument for selling identity, success, or visibility, reducing listeners to passive consumers. The article situates this shift within broader transformations of digital capitalism, self-optimisation culture, and communication coaching, showing how conversational depth is replaced by predictable, strategic self-branding. The loss of genuine conversation is presented not as a stylistic problem but as a structural erosion of social bonds and shared meaning.
By Peter Ayolov8 days ago in Critique
Comments (3)
That's exciting, I'm so happy for you. It's a dream job to get paid to read and write about it.
That's great news, Mark! So happy to hear you've been doing something a lot of us would want to do. Reviewing is a tough job, and they picked the right person to help them. Congrats!!!
Awe well done Mark so very Happy for you ♦️♦️♦️♦️