BIOGRAPHY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

Douglas A. Mackey, born in Evanston, Illinois in 1947, is a writer, editor, literary critic, and Web/database developer  living in Fairfield, Iowa. He grew up in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Kansas, and has a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in English from the University of Kansas. A former software engineer at HRSoft, Inc., in 2001 he became enterprise editor at Pocket PC magazine where he is now webmaster. He is the author of seven books (see below).

 

WEIRD SCENES INSIDE THE GODMIND
(Qubik Books, 2001)             

In this original science-fiction novel, Cora (a vampire) and her human friends Ronan (a writer), Mark (an actor) and Mary Anna (a therapist), both as individuals and in their collective fifth-dimensional identity, fight Lovecraftian horrors from the beyond. In the process, several outrageous horror plays and films are produced, and a novel by a dead cult sf writer, Clarence Clapper, is channeled. The bizarre cast of characters also includes Jesus, the shades of Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde, and a Hendrix-like neo-psychedelic guitarist called J’ai H’ai whose music hath charms to soothe the savage extraterrestrial. Read the first four chapters here.
ISBN 1588985687

 

THE DANCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS
(Borgo Press, 1994)            

Subtitled "Enlightenment in Modern Literature." This is one of the few books to seriously relate major works of Western literature to the higher states of consciousness known in the Eastern tradition. Among those authors discussed in depth are Joyce, Lawrence, Rilke, Beckett, Pirandello, Strindberg, Pynchon, and others.
ISBN 0893704059

 

DOORS INTO THE PLAY (with Sydney H. Spayde)
(Borgo Press, 1993)            

This is the distillation of the wisdom of veteran director Sydney H. Spayde's life in the theatre, which encompassed 60 years, 350 productions, and the founding of several theatres. Filled with insight and inspiration for actors and directors, it focuses on key concepts that were found reliably to aid generations of Dr. Spayde's students.
ISBN 0893704164

THE WORK OF IAN WATSON
(Borgo Press, 1989)

An annotated bibliography and guide to the brilliant British science-fiction writer Ian Watson, who since the early 70s has put forth a stream of stories and novels on a dazzling array of alternative realities and states of consciousness. Includes an overview of Watson's works by bibliography author Douglas A. Mackey, an original autobiographical essay by Ian Watson, details of all the appearances in English and all translations of Watson's works, and plot summaries of every novel and story.
ISBN 0809515121

 

PHILIP K. DICK
(Twayne Publishers, 1988)             

The ideal introduction to the prolific science-fiction author whose landmark works in the 50s, 60s, and 70s have influenced a generation of writers and filmmakers. This book gives the essence of each of Dick's novels and many of the stories, along with key philosophical motifs that appeared throughout much of his writing.
ISBN 085775153

D. H. LAWRENCE: The Poet Who Was Not Wrong
(Borgo Press, 1986)

A full-length study of Lawrence's large body of poems, which ranged from intense early romantic explorations, to visionary explorations of nature, to his last, mythic musings on death. Instead of following a conventional chronological exposition, this book ranges freely across the poetry, juxtaposing works from all periods to show the unifying themes of Lawrence's poetry throughout his life. It incorporates frequent parallels to Lawrence's novels and philosophical writings, showing his extraordinary unity of vision.
ISBN 0893702714

 

THE RAINBOW QUEST OF THOMAS PYNCHON
(Borgo Press, 1980)             

The characters in Thomas Pynchon's novels are obsessed with questions of concealed plots, organizations, and conspiracies. This analysis of his first three novels: V., The Crying of Lot 49, and Gravity's Rainbow focuses on the theme of the quest for transcendence amidst the terrifying labyrinth of modern history.
ISBN 0893702420