Welcome to Hangman Chronicles, a bi-weekly newsletter from Rod Machen, a writer living in Austin, Texas. Movies, books, culture of all kind will be on the table. Honestly, I’m just someone who take in a lot of media and like to experience new things. This is my attempt to wrangle that in something shareable and cogent.

The sections of each edition will look something like this:

Reading

Books, articles, magazines. Lot of interesting stuff out there. It’s nice to slow down and put some of this in perspective.

Writing

I write for both the Austin Chronicle, our local alt-newsweekly, and Cinapse, a publication for film reviews and writing. If there’s something to share, I will.

Watching

Movies have been my main focus these last two years, and Austin’s a great place to watch. Lately, I’ve been taking in more series, getting back to my roots as a kid plopped in front of the tv.

Listening

I don’t really write about music, but I love it, and I’d like to highlight things that come across my path.

Moving

The last few years have seen me go on a fitness journey that has me doing things I’d never have thought possible. Living heavy weights, playing tennis, running even. It’s crazy, but I spend lots of time learning and doing these activities, so I’d like to share.

Miscellany

There just has to be miscellaneous stuff that will come up. Has to. Might as well have a section for it.

What’s Next

A preview of the next edition, or maybe a story I know I’m going to write. We’ve always got new movies and television coming out, too. Plenty to look forward to. That’s kind of my life’s motto.