https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/tags/writing/ Recent content in Writing on MATTHEW JOEL VANDERKWAAK Hugo en-us Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/posts/hope-without-optimism/ Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/posts/hope-without-optimism/ An essay on the spiritual methods of artists Alex Coville, Mary Pratt, and Tom Forrestall. This piece was included in the anthology of local writing *Each Life a Poem* which celebrates 20 years of Halifax Humanities. https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/posts/music-that-belongs-where-you-are/ Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/posts/music-that-belongs-where-you-are/ An essay on the art of listening to local music published on the newsletter, New Bands for Old Heads. https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/posts/chance-encounters-musical-tastes/ Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/posts/chance-encounters-musical-tastes/ A reflection on Foxwarren&#39;s 2025 album, *2*. https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/posts/death-and-resurrection-of-the-biopic/ Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0000 https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/posts/death-and-resurrection-of-the-biopic/ <p>I almost walked out of the Bob Dylan biopic. The depiction of Dylan in the film felt so alien to my own experiences making art and music. I found it a puzzling and disturbing experience. Then a week or so later I went and saw the Robbie Williams chimp movie and it supplied everything I was left wanting.</p> <p>This essay tells the story of the experience while meditating on divine inspiration in the arts.</p> https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/posts/necessity-of-platonism/ Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://matthewvanderkwaak.com/posts/necessity-of-platonism/ A reflection on a talk by Andrew Louth for FYP News