“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, often 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
TRICKSTER GAZETTE: Halloween Sports Edition
The Buster Keaton of Baseball Creator: Wally Gobetz <<<<<< SLAPSTICK! It can be defined as the exaggeration of physical comedy to the point of seeming violence—the pratfall, the pie in the face, the collapsing building—but slapstick speaks a language more profound: the conveyance of the child’s premoral playfulness, without any signaling of good or…
Read an Excerpt on Slapstick from “Tricking Power into Performing Acts of Love
The Truth Is Out There Throw a stone at a pile of movies, and you’re going to hit one where slapstick has sneaked in under the tent flaps. Directors and actors with obvious influence include Wes Anderson, Jackie Chan, Bill Murray, Lucille Ball, Amy Poehler, Gilda Radner, Bea Lillie, Max Carol Burnett, Joan Davis, Melissa…
Breaking News: MONKEY CATCHES MOON! …and other announcements
Monkey Catching the Moon Ekaku Hakuin (Japanese, 1685 – 1768) v v v Unreal and Real Announcements . . . v v v I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be part of Humanities Washington’s Speakers Bureau for 2024 and 2025. And we’re booking ahead now! If you or someone you know are in Washington State…