Welcome!

Welcome to this first post of Woodland Shoppers Paradise. This blog will explore a range of my personal interests, from academically oriented writing to public commentary. With this site, I hope to blur the walls of that old Ivory Tower. Indeed, I appreciate any comments, criticisms, and suggestions you might have about any of these posts.

If you're curious, the name for this blog comes from my goal of creating a virtual mini-mall of ideas. Like a brick-and-mortar mall, you can wander these pages and find all sorts of stuff, some of which may be interesting, some of which may be junk. However, this mall is better than the traditional kind because you need not follow any directions that I prescribe. By every click, you form your own corridors. Who knows where they will lead?

At present, I plan to write a little something every day. Occasionally I'll summarize an article that piques my interest. Sometimes I'll post an essay related to topics that interest me: urban life, roadside Americana, popular media, and the like. And every once in a while I'll use this space to rant about whatever is bugging me at the moment.

We'll see how far this thing progresses. But whether it lasts a month, a year, or longer, I hope this blog will be useful to someone -- even if that someone is merely me.