H I S W E B P A G E
"If you can cut the people off from their history,
then they can be easily persuaded"--Karl Marx
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H I S W E B P A G E "If you can cut the people off from their history, then they can be easily persuaded"--Karl Marx |
Perhaps it was the fact that I was raised during the American Civil War Centennial...perhaps it was because I was raised about twenty miles from Lincoln's New Salem...perhaps it was interesting history teachers who made learning about history fun...perhaps it was because I knew someone whose father worked with Abraham Lincoln or because Lincoln stiffed a great-great-uncle of mine for half a C-note...perhaps it was watching too many word-and-sandal and medieval films at an impressionable age...who knows? But the end result is a passionate and abiding interest in history that has persisted all my life!
Personal
A long-time resident of Urbana, Illinois in the east central part of the state, I am a graphic artist, author, photographer and publisher. I have a wonderful wife, a beautiful girlfriend and five mostly obedient kitties, and I am active in living history...
And what's living history, you say? Well, I'm glad you asked...
living history
Living History is the re-creation of another time period in the present. It is more than a fancy-dress costume party, somewhat more than experimental archaeology, more than just battle recreation and more than camping in funny tents. Living History is a subculture in which participants immerse themselves.
Living Historians re-create many different eras. You might have heard of folks who re-create the American Civil War, the American War of Independence. There are others who re-create eras as diverse as the Viking Age, the Great War, the Roman Empire, World War II and the English Civil War. All aspects, from battle to special festivities to the everyday homely details of living in that time.
Just like that favorite teacher or professor made history more exciting for you, living history tries to make history exciting. It is not that living historians try to denigrate history or that they burlesque it. It is not that they do not care about facts, that they try to change history into some kind of Tolkien fantasy. Serious reenactors* are all serious about the history...but we aren't going to let that stand in the way of having a good time!
In living history, you can find friendship, romance, camaraderie and much more. Many long-lasting friendships, relationships and even marriages have started in living history. Living history is parties and drinking and arts and sports...and much more. And living history is--like it or not, believe it or not--educational.
A few more excellent living links is Smoke and Fire (good friends and publisher of Smoke and Fire News, a monthly newspaper covering many eras of reenacting), Stacy Roth (a proponent of first-person impressions; her book, Past Into Present, is recommended) and Jay Anderson (whose excellent Time Machines is the seminal academic volume on living history).
*I say "reenactor" even though not all living history is reenactment. The alternative, "living historian," always seemed to me to be sort of "Jesse Byock, not Steven Ambrose..." thing.
SCA
The Society for Creative Anachronism is like living history--just bad living history. Although it has treasure troves of knowledge and extraordinary individual resources, too many are hung up on the titles and money and let accuracy and a consistent environment go to hell. The SCA tries to be all things to all people and as a result, is nothing to anyone. It's not supposed to be fantasy, but too many people think it is. I have participated in the SCA since 1972, and I still participate. But I keep hoping that it will grow up, but in the meantime, it's living history light. More and more, people though are dissatisfied and are graduating to the Hard Stuff.
NWTA
The Hard Stuff for me. The North West Territory Alliance is Midwest umbrella for reenacting the American War of Independence. It puts on a very good show, has serious accuracy levels that probably warped any perception I had of the hobby, and there are great people in it. I wanted to get into more serious reenacting and was looking at Civil war groups (because of the aforementioned connections). However, instead, I got involved in AWI reenacting in 1989 through friends who had been in the SCA. I was a member of Baldwin's quartermaster's unit and was commander for a few years until health problems forced me to trim down what I was doing. I still try to get out once or twice a year.
Regia Anglorum
An interest in the Viking Age began to grow after a trip to Iceland in 1988. After a quarter century of concentrating on fourteenth-century English, I began to get more and more intrigued by Norse--especially Icelandic--culture; around the Millennium, I adopted a Norse name and began to acquire a Norse kit. I began looking around for a satisfactory living-history group that concentrated on the Viking Age, and in 2003 found Regia. Like the NWTA, friends got me into the Regia Anglorum.
Regia Anglorum concentrates on British history rom 950 to 1066 ce–primarily Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman cultures--and was founded in 1`986 in the UK. Regia Anglorum North America was founded after Hastings 2000 and is just in its formative stages. Micel Folcland is even younger. If you think that serious living history--with crafts and rebated-steel combat--is interesting, we hope you'll stop by and check us out!
Folump Enterprises
Folump Enterprises is a business founded in 1976 by my wife and me. It is predominantly a small press, publishing books--fiction and non-fiction--about living history. Folump also provides graphic design & photographic services, calligraphy & artwork and jewelry (mainly beadwork).
Other Interests
Other interests include writing, photography, comics, films and those listed below. If you're vanilla--or wondering what I mean when I say "vanilla"--you might not want to go further!
"When you live outside the law, you must be honest"--Bob Dylan
Polyamory
Polyamory is simultaneous multiple romantic--sometimes sexual--relationships. Modern culture states that only monogamy is acceptable, although more often than not, it is serial monogamy, where you discard an old love in order to have a new love, that you have to devote all your energies to *one* person and not look at anyone else. Either that or cheat; not tell your SO that you are human. Poly is not immoral, not disrespectful and not sleazy, no matter what militant monogamist say. In order for polyamory to be successful, you have to work out what is best for everyone involved and respect every link in the chain, whether you are intimately involved with them or not. There is a local support group that helps with people interested in the lifestyle or in finding out more about the lifestyle. because the lifestyle is unaccepted or reviled by some people--though ignorance can be cured--you'll find many people in the lifestyle are extremely quiet and discrete about it! Please note that we aren't saying that you have to have multiple relationships, just that you should be able to!
Greenery Press publishes an excellent book on poly and alternate sexual relationships called The Ethical Slut. Recommended!
BDSM
BDSM is an acronym for Bondage and Discipline/Domination and Submission and Sado-Masochism, a catch-all for persons into sexual fetishes, kinky sex and alternative lifestyles. It can be as simple as dressing up in exotic underwear or tying your lover's hands together with a silk scarf. Sometimes, it isn't even sex (but it's usually sensual). It can be much more. If you're interested, there is a local support group. Like Poly, because the lifestyle is unaccepted or reviled by some people--though ignorance can be cured--you'll find many people in the lifestyle are extremely quiet and discrete about it! There are also many excellent books on the subject; Greenery Press is an excellent publisher.