Dan Schreiber's Home Page

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Dan Schreiber is a regular columnist and former editor at Smile Politely.com, a Champaign-Urbana, IL web magazine. His essays have appeared in Dreamseeker Magazine, The Mennonite, Geez Magazine, and Wunderkammer. Since 2006, he has written extensively about culture, religion, politics and parenting on his blog, “Musings of a Minor Mennonite.” He also writes occasional movie reviews and blogs about Roger Ebert’s Overlooked Film Festival.

In 2008, he was awarded third place in the Associated Christian Press' “Best of Christian Press” (humor category). He has also received a number of editor’s picks at Open Salon.com. He once received a very nice rejection letter from what he assumes was an intern at The New Yorker, referencing his “merit and humor.”

Dan is overreaching now, but nonetheless, invites you dip into the highlights of his writing. Columns and essays are broken down by category below, although many articles span multiple categories. His only advice to you as a reader is that if you are the type of person who believes Barack Obama was born in Kenya, you may want to stay away from the politics section.

Religion

General Social Issues

Politics

Parenting

Humor/Odds & Ends

Movies and Movie-Related

Travelogues

Articles on Religious Topics

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A Brief History of Love and Suffering (Dreamseeker Magazine, summer 2009)

My Ensemble Experience (The Mennonite, 6/3/2008. Placed 3rd for 2008 Associated Christian Press “Best of Christian Press” in humor category).

Geez Magazine:
Jesus Comes with Free Ice-Cream Bars (winter 2009)
The Bliss of Ignorance (summer 2009, honorable mention in Awkward Sermon Contest, no link)

Smile Politely Columns:
The More or Less Seven Social Sins (9/9/08)
The War on Tolerance, 2008 Update (12/4/08)
Are You Rapture-Ready? (5/14/08)
Resisting Empire while Eating Fine Cheese (4/15/08)

Articles on General Social Issues

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Santa the Refugee (Open Salon.com editors's pick, 12/18/08)
The Bagger’s Bane (Smile Politely column, 1/29/09)

Things You Should Never Buy (Smile Politely column, 8/12/09)
The Moral Complexity of Shopping (Smile Politely column, 5/20/08)

Farewell, Sweet Bookmobile (Open Salon.com editors's pick, 2/26/09)
To Give or to Go (Smile Politely column, 3/25/08)

What Super Bowl Commercials Tell Us (Open Salon.com editors's pick, 2/2/09)
Horton Hears a Metaphor (Smile Politely column, 4/8/08)

Articles on Politics

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Smile Politely columns:

General Complaining
Joe the Plumber vs. The Socialists (10/30/08)
The Dixie Chicks: Pop Icons of the Bush Era (1/14/09)
Those Untethered Birthers (8/11/09)
Compromised Reform (8/20/09)
Half-Strong Foreign Policy (5/27/08)

Obama Love
Prophets vs. Kings (1/22/09)
An Historic Election (11/5/08)
Obama is Smarter than I Am (10/16/09)

All-Purpose Pondering
Who Should Not Vote (10/23/08)
Charity vs. Justice (9/3/09)
Would You Sign a Loyalty Oath? (6/3/08)
Trickle Down Charity (12/2/08)

Articles on Parenting

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Smile Politely Columns:

Middle School Girl Syndrome (2/19/09)
The Stink of My Presence (6/18/09)
Walking and Waving in Champaign-Urbana (5/17/09)

Humor/Odds and Ends

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Smile Politely columns:

Attempts at Humor
Hoarding Food for the Apocalypse (11/13/08)
Why the World Should Be Ruled by Robotic Overlords (9/25/08)
How to Politicize Child Safety (5/26/08)
Married People Rock (7/15/08)
The Washington Street Parade (7/8/08)

University of Illinois Chief Illiniwek Controversy
The Sinner's Guide to the Chief Illiniwek Debate (10/1/09)
Dancing Privileges (11/17/08)
"Wrastlin' Abe" named new University of Illinois mascot (4/1/09)

Movies Reviews and Movie-Related Articles

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My Schizophrenic Backstory (On being an extra in a movie, Wunderkammer Magazine, 8/12/09)

Yet Another Oscar 2009 Wrap-up (Open Salon.com editor's pick, 2/23/09)

Smile Politely Columns
On the Set of Leading Ladies (6/8/09)
My Top Ten Chicago Movies (6/24/08)
Copyrighting away culture: An interview with Nina Paley (4/9/09)
All Choked Up (7/23/09)
Michael Scott as The White Guy (8/5/08)

Movie Reviews
Up! (6/2/09)
Millions (5/5/06)
Shotgun Stories (4/26/08)
No End in Sight (9/9/07)
Come Early Morning (4/28/07)
Juno (2/14/08)
Sweet Land (8/20/07)
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (5/1/07)

Ebertfest Blog Entries
Ebertfest 11 Day 1: Woodstock: Groovy, Man (4/23/09)
Ebertfest 11 Day 2 (4/24/09)
Ebertfest 11 Summary (4/28/09)
Ebertfest 10 Hamlet and Opening Night (4/24/08)
Ebertfest 9 Gattaca and Meritocracy (4/26/07)
Ebertfest 9 Alan Rickman Interview (4/27/07)
Ebertfest 9 70mm Blues (4/24/07)