“Tricking Power into Performing Acts of Love weaves together delightful stories of mischief from famous tricksters.”
Open Your Mind...
…to grownups who play as they did when children, play in order to keep on playing, not to win or defeat. Such folks will encounter and engage with the Trickster, humanity’s oldest known archetype. The Child plays for fun, and the Warrior plays to win, but the Trickster’s play disrupts the Warrior’s contest, and opens a portal to a wider range of societal possibilities. Click around to learn more.


…a thoughtful examination of shared attributes of Tricksters across genres, time periods, and cultures, from the Native American coyote and Zulu weasel to “The Fool” in King Lear and Bugs Bunny. Though the book’s firm command of the scholarly literature surrounding Tricksters will appeal to academics, its approachable…jovial, writing style will also appeal to a wide audience.
Public Speaking
Shepherd Siegel would love to meet you, engage with and play with you and yers. Within the conventions of a featured speaker, but of course! With more than a nod to the magic of vaudeville, standup, and the fruits of diligent research. Dr. Siegel brings the Trickster archetype to life right before your very eyes. And explains how giving tricksters their due is going to make the world a better place.Recent Posts
Let’s Hear It For Burt Bacharach!!!!
In the first half of the 20th century, something wonderful happened in America. Out of vaudeville and music hall theaters, jazz and folk, and the native songs of Stephen Foster, there arose an amazing outpouring of great songwriting. Popular songs, Broadway show tunes, jazz standards, and eventually songs from movies. Some were all four. Some…
Bingo Gas Station Motel Cheeseburger
I’m Doin’ Fine, on Cloud Nine! I’m excited to be back in touch with you after some respite, some time as a guest on various podcasts, and a life-affirming sojourn in Cuba (and oh yeah, the annual holidaze). What better time to reach out and connect. I’m on Cloud Nine! 21st Century Cloud Nine (Beach…
It’s OK To Talk About Utopia, It’s OK!
Utopia, Metopia, All God’s Children Gottopia Progress is the realization of Utopias. —Oscar Wilde Tales of the Trickster are the oldest stories known to humanity. As a timeless archetype, they show up throughout histories past, present, and even future. They compulsively mock the powerful and are therefore relevant to any discussion of a future that…