Many know of my love for a writer by the name of Tolkien, but there is a writer who influenced my work much more deeply, and in recognition and thanks to that writer I am dedicating this page to the collection and publication of his various writings. What writer am I speaking of, you might ask? None other than my own father, Neil Kirk.

The title of this page hearkens back to the “Commentary or Hogwash” page of my father’s newspaper. I intend to digitize and publish the best of his Commentary or Hogwash here, and ultimately hope to publish the novel he wrote. I helped him create the fictional town of Trenchville, Iowa where the novel was set, and my brother, sister, and I show up as characters occasionally as well, under pseudonyms of course.

I’ve thought as well of taking up the mantle and writing about the world around me through the lens of fiction as my father did in his Commentary or Hogwash column.

I also found a satire paper written by dad when he was studying journalism at the University of Portland. Not only did we share the same alma mater, but also the ever popular Satire class that made such an impression on my father happened to be taught by my own academic adviser, Dr. Asarnow. This paper was written in the early 90s, before I ever existed, but by ending on a reference to Dr. KaRupt, it reads as if it were meant to be a prequel to dad’s novel.