A weekly newsletter about artistic freedom at any age, and this week finding that amid national tensions, there is local hope.
Jul 02, 2025
I met the new Mayor of Hackensack, NJ when he was a seventh grader. He wasn’t mayor then, but his soul was old enough to handle the job from that very first day.
Caseen Gaines has been looking at the larger picture and creating positive contributions to it since he was a kid. He grew up casually taking on and excelling at challenges that gave others pause. Writing, acting, singing, delivering news on the high school TV station, unabashedly embracing niche pop culture, working multiple jobs simultaneously, guiding fellow students as an AD at Rutgers, co-founding the Hackensack Theatre Company while still in college, returning to his high school to become a teacher, direct school plays, revitalize the journalism, creative writing, and diversity reading programs, serving as union rep, then union president, all while writing several notable pop culture non-fiction books, becoming a pop culture spokesperson, multiple home owner, and entering local politics (at the same time!), organizing activities and taking on responsibilities that have led to being sworn in as Hackensack Mayor this week. All while being in love with, then married to a woman of equal talent, drive, agency, and commitment to community service.
At a swearing in ceremony, before an incredibly diverse packed auditorium that boasted representatives from a wide array of ethnicities, religions, ages, and genders made up of neighbors, friends, community leaders, and family who came from four states to witness only the second black mayor in the city’s history take the oath with the help of a lifeline friend and fellow community servant, Caseen demonstrated grace, gratitude, warmth, and, as repeatedly noted throughout the night, hope.
The people in that large room joined together to create an atmosphere I’ve been missing these decades-long last few months. It felt like … America.
For the first time in months I found myself among humans that were not demonstrably more angry than joyful, weren’t focusing on the negatives of one political/racial/economic side or another, weren’t concerned about the end of this grand experiment.
Instead, we celebrated a sense of renewal, of possibility, of hope.
Ain’t that America.
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Hi, I’m Christopher Ryan, a hybrid author with forty years of experience in journalism, education, sketch comedy, indie film, unions, community service, parenting, p ublic speaking, acting, fiction and pop culture writing, as well as podcasting. Now I’m pushing to be more, to become one of the oldest emerging authors in the business. Together, let’s see whether I can get there.
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NEWS:
FEAR AND LOATHING TO BE RELEASED JULY 3rd
I’ve been talking about it for weeks, been laboring over it for months, and now, finally, it will be loosed up on the world.
Soul Scream Antholozine Fear and Loathing – Horror Tales for a Changed World is yet another experiment in form, where all aspects of this anthology/magazine mash-up aims to offer healing through harrowing fiction, author interviews, art, and behind-the-scenes hijjinx.
To be clear about our efforts and audience, here’s the full wrap cover (thanks to Matt Wildasin for making it look so dynamic) including the back cover copy:
If you think that is a political attack, you haven’t paid attention to what I’ve been doing. There is neither interest or value in telling one side or the other its wrong because no one is listening to their opposites these days. Instead, these stories, poems, interviews, and art, celebrate the freedoms this country was founded upon, and the metaphors that have given us all strength during challenging times.
Anyone who feels their senses attacked within these pages are welcomed here – that’s a purpose of horror, to shake us up and get us to reconsider what is up or down, right or wrong, us or the monster we may have become.
There is glorious horror here, not so much with the blood splatter as with the brain splatter. Each piece in here is designed to entertain, scare, test what we believe, and how we might be living these days … and in the near future. There are no prisoners taken, no quarter given, and no doors shut.
Come on in and see whether what’s inside makes you smile, keeps you up at night, gets you thinking, maybe even reconsidering what this country is, and could be.
And before some cranky friend calls me a socialist, let’s share our logo, redesigned by Matt for the occasion:
God bless America, now more than ever.
Link for the book: https://a.co/d/6qsWd70
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SIX PUBLICATIONS THIS YEAR
So far in 2025, I’ve been involved in six publications. Might be worth sharing them all for the curious.
A Horror tale in verse. Link: https://a.co/d/9XmeLjy
The “last date” with beloved America. Link: https://a.co/d/cwcTMvD
I’m honored to have published this fun mystery play. Link: https://a.co/d/4n4Bffo
Promo copy. Might be able to get one at cons.
Honored to be part of this celebration of Jack Kirby. Link: https://a.co/d/h2cwypg
THE CHALLENGE OF KEEPING IT FRESH
Recently, Glorious and I saw two concerts. One was a tribute band, Lez Zeppelin, who have been touring for twenty years as an all-girls Zep cover band. The other was Counting Crows, on tour supporting their new album.
Two very different bands. Similar problem – both seemed bored during long portions of their shows.
Lez Zeppelin preformed the entirety of Physical Graffiti, currently celebrating 50 years as a classic rock album. However, they only seemed energized by a few songs from that album, and performed most of it at 32 1/3 – just a bit slow. They took the energy through the roof when they turned to classic Zep rockers, and left us wondering why they would do a show they didn’t seem to love.
Counting Crows was more disheartening. They have often been transcendent during their shows, but not at PNC. Sure, they were alive and excellent while playing their new songs, but otherwise offered tepid performances of deep cuts and outright bored renditions of their classics.
I still admire both groups and have faith that we just ran through a bit of bad luck. But. Tickets are expensive these days. And tensions are high about so many things that we turn to music to heal us from that bad nights now do more harm than good. We need you now, Lez Zep, Counting Crows, and all other live acts and films and TV shows and books, etc. We need your best.
I hope this gets in front of any creator down on the value of their work; please do not sell yourself short. There are so many of us out here waiting and hoping and needing delivery from the challenges of 2025, and your work is what we need. Remember that you have people out here for who your work is a balm, an escape, a salvation from what we’re going though.
So keep going. We need ya.
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ROUGH WEEK FOR CURRENT OBSESSIONS:
MUSIC: Bruce Springsteen’s huge Lost Albums project came out and sounds … nice. Maybe multiple listens will acclimate me to their greatness, but I was hoping, perhaps unfairly, for lightning to strike my soul. We’ll see.
TV: Still shocked that the very satisfying Marvel film The Thunderbolts is being considered a flop despite its quality, I turned to Ironheart hoping for deliverance. Again, maybe I’m unfairly expecting too much, but so far …
BOOKS: More clues that it is me and perhaps creative exhaustion rather than these usual home run hitters, I also didn’t connect with Stephen King and S. A. Cosby’s new releases.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Stay tuned. Maybe we’ll find out together.
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All right, talk atcha next week.
Chris Ryan 