nistalgia is authored by Nick Stonaker, a graduate student and critic working towards a PhD in Literary Studies. The website was created as a passion project encompassing music, film, literature, and video game reviews, various other thoughts, projects, and written pieces. Nick's professional research focuses on 20th Century American Experimental Fiction, Aesthetics, Ethics and the human mind.
The primary aim of the website is to grow a robust personal knowledge base while contributing to the advancement of the humanities. It represents an effort towards elevating art and the creative depths of the human mind in order to promote collective individualism and artistic culture in a world where they are undervalued and under-appreciated.
Reviews are always honest and unique to personal perspective, sometimes dissonant but always genuine, ignoring outside opinion. Writing remains as concise as possible while providing some kind of brief insight into the work at hand, but reviews are typically written within one session, so please forgive any errors in grammar, judgement, fact-checking, etc. This website is a passion project and purely unmonetized. There are no cookies or ads associated with this website and there never will be.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifies you to review anything?
The short answer is: nothing. Having a unique voice is a gift that all of us share, I just enjoy sharing mine through writing and criticism.
What is the purpose of writing reviews for and rating art when it is so subjective?
Art in all forms being such a subjective medium is a motivator rather than a hinderance. Identifying and voicing the distinction between impartiality and personal slant is necessary, but a unique yet consistent critical voice has a real place in our cultural discourse and promotes the value of the humanities for the individual, all while providing efficient direction for new or even avid consumers. That being said, the value of writing benefits myself as much as others, as it promotes critical thought and creativity, as well as a form of accountability in personal education through expression. Whether reading the material is entertaining or valuable is up to you.
What do you add to criticism that hasn't been said before?
Plenty of personal observations of course, but again the focus is on adding a well-researched and intellectually curious voice to the already active discourse. This is why social media sites focused on music, film, books, art, etc are valuable as well, but this is my preferred method of organizing my thoughts in one place considering my various interests.
“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. For what is the worth of human life, unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history?”
- Cicero
“Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love.”
- Claude Monet
“Do not bend, do not water it down, do not try to make it logical, do not edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
- Franz Kafka
How do I contact you with thoughts and/or suggestions?
Email works best: stonaker2@gmail.com
How do I donate?
If you would like to contribute to this project please donate below. Please note everything is contributed by one individual author and this website is not intended for financial gain. Any donations are appreciated but will never be requested.
