fiction and creative non-fiction from Brennan Quenneville
Everything is complicated and Thanksgiving is no exception. Setting aside the impacts of colonialism and systemic inequality—which are quite a lot to set aside and deserve more attention than I'm allotting here!—the idea of dedicating a day to reflection, to consideration of those people, things and circumstances to which we are grateful, is a good [...]
It's a long-running joke in our house that my wife thinks I only listen to depressing music and, well, she may have a point. So let's infuse a little of that gloom into this most romantic of days by celebrating some of the most miserable "love" songs every written. "Falling in Love" by Lisa Loeb [...]
It's one of the most famous moments in syndicated Christmas special history. Linus, wearing a green beanie and carrying his trustworthy blue blanket, steps to the front of the stage in an empty auditorium. A single spotlight illuminates him as he recites scripture from memory, describing to his best friend, the constantly beleaguered Charlie Brown, [...]
I'm not particularly proactive when it comes to holiday traditions. While I'm partial to a Thanksgiving dinner, I'm certainly not going to prepare it. Though I'm fond of Christmas lights and decorations, I don't know that I've ever bought any. For the most part, I rely on those around me (*cough* my wife *cough*) to take [...]
Like seemingly everyone in my generation, I'm of the mindset that Jon Favreau's Elf is a Christmas classic. What kind of scrooge doesn't enjoy the adventures of Will Ferrell's lovably naive Buddy the Elf? The movie's climactic scene - which includes brilliant allusions to Lethal Weapon, The Lord of the Rings, and the freaking Patterson-Gimlin bigfoot video - [...]
Songs & Stories 