Monday, July 29, 2024

July 29, 2024

 Greetings Everyone!

I did a recent interview with Brandon Wallace on the Truth & Shadow Podcast.  The interview, The Dark Side of Imagination: Understanding Lovecraft's Complex Character, lasted  fifty-five minutes and it was a lot of fun. It is now available for listening or for download on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and on various other on-line sites.


The interview was focused  primarily on my first book, H. P. Lovecraft & the Black Magickal Tradition, though I discussed my second and third books as well—my third book, Horror as Racism in H. P. Lovecraft: White Fragility in the Weird Tales, was just released the first of this year, by Bloomsbury!

I hope that all of you will check out the interview!  Mr. Wallace, in his promotional introduction to the interview, has this to say:

“Join us on this intriguing episode of “Truth and Shadow” as we delve into the eerie and enigmatic worlds of science fiction, horror, and the occult with the renowned author John L. Steadman. Best known for his book “H.P. Lovecraft & the Black Magickal Tradition,” Steadman offers a unique perspective on the connections between Lovecraft’s mythos and esoteric traditions. We’ll explore the depths of Lovecraftian horror, the influence of occult practices, and the modern mythologies that continue to captivate and terrify audiences worldwide. Tune in for a chilling and intellectually stimulating discussion that peels back the layers of the unknown. Perfect for fans of horror literature, the occult, and anyone curious about the dark corners of human imagination.”

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qBFNZaLnM5s&list=PLoXq9jY8Ast99u92Pp5N-_cnWZuGDnjx3&index=4&pp=iAQB

Friday, July 26, 2024

July 26, 2024

Greetings Everyone!

I did a recent interview with Brandon Wallace on the Truth & Shadow Podcast, hosted on Apple Podcasts!  

I hope that all of you will check out the interview!  Mr. Wallace, in his promotional introduction to the interview, has this to say:

“Join us on this intriguing episode of “Truth and Shadow” as we delve into the eerie and enigmatic worlds of science fiction, horror, and the occult with the renowned author John L. Steadman. Best known for his book “H.P. Lovecraft & the Black Magickal Tradition,” Steadman offers a unique perspective on the connections between Lovecraft’s mythos and esoteric traditions. We’ll explore the depths of Lovecraftian horror, the influence of occult practices, and the modern mythologies that continue to captivate and terrify audiences worldwide. Tune in for a chilling and intellectually stimulating discussion that peels back the layers of the unknown. Perfect for fans of horror literature, the occult, and anyone curious about the dark corners of human imagination.”

JLS












https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truth-shadow-podcast/id1714476896?i=1000663314231








Tuesday, July 9, 2024

July 9, 2024

 Greetings Everyone!

My new book, Horror as Racism in H. P. Lovecraft: White Fragility in the Weird Tales, was recently published by Bloomsbury, the foremost academic publisher in the United States and in the United Kingdom!

I hope that all of you will pick up a copy; you can order it online from the publishers and, of course, from Amazon and other online booksellers around the world.  The book is also available in bookstores here in the states as well as overseas.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/horror-as-racism-in-h-p-lovecraft-9798765107690/

In two of his earliest poems, “De Triumpho Naturae” (1905) and “On the Creation of Niggers”(1912), Lovecraft upends Darwin’s theory of evolution by proposing a theory of polygenesis, arguing that humans, including the superior types of humans—white Anglo Saxons—evolved from some type of highly developed quadruped, complete with pointed ears and a tail, like its distant cousin the monkey.  However, Blacks evolved from different, lower quadrupeds.  Thus, since white Anglo-Saxons and Blacks are not descended from the same quadrupeds, they are separate species, and therefore, Blacks should not be considered as human beings.

You can read all about Lovecraft’s theory of polygenesis in Horror as Racism in H. P. Lovecraft, and how Lovecraft uses this theory to insist that Blacks, like monkeys and apes, must be kept separate from humans—they represent, in fact, a threat to the purity of the white race. 

JLS