Fencing Bear at Prayer

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... seven sins for scouring, six signs for praying , five 5-star reviews , four pairs of shades , three seals of love , two friends-in-arms , and a Fencing Bear in a MILO tree . * Shield Maidens’ Study Guide: Milo, How to be Poor 1. Were you surprised by HTBP? How much of Milo's story did you know before you read his account in HTBP? Did it change your view of Milo? If not, why not? If so, how?  2. What would you say is the main theme of the book? Why is it called “How to Be Poor”? Why does it have the chapters that it does?  3. What was your favorite chapter? Why did you like it? What was your least favorite chapter? Why?  4. If you were to write a book about yourself like “How to Be Poor,” what would it be called? Would you find it hard or easy to write? My questions were just meant as starters, not a quiz!  What would I write my “How to” on? This is what I have been doing with Fencing Bea

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... six signs for praying, five 5-star reviews , four pairs of shades , three seals of love , two friends-in-arms , and a Fencing Bear in a MILO tree . * Not long after Yiannopoulos’s defenestration from Simon & Schuster, Brown wrote a mournful post on Fencing Bear that compared Yiannopoulos’s fate to Christ’s ignominious death on the cross. (The post, titled “Mother and Son,” actually consisted of a quotation from a twelfth-century meditation on the sorrows of the Virgin Mary.) Jeffrey Cohen posted a screengrab of Brown’s post, which in turn got the attention of the New Republic ’s Josephine Livingstone. She contacted Emilio Kourí, chair of the University of Chicago’s history department, to inquire whether Brown’s blog, linked on her Chicago faculty page, “could be considered part of her body of scholarship.” It was apparently a hint that Chicago ought to punish Brown for supporting Yiannopoulos. Kourí repl

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... five 5-star reviews, four pairs of shades , three seals of love , two friends-in-arms , and a Fencing Bear in a MILO tree . * Medieval historian Rachel Fulton Brown receives rave course reviews for her classes on Christianity in the Middle Ages, but has also attracted the attention of national news outlets for controversial blog posts praising her friend Milo Yiannopoulos, an alt-right commentator. Yiannopoulos, a former editor with right-wing outlet Breitbart News, wrote articles with incendiary headlines like “Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.” Brown has seemed to delight in the shock Yiannopoulos provokes, recently publishing a blog post detailing “The Art of the Virtuous Troll.” —“ Who’s Who: Professors Iconic, Beloved, and Infamous ,” The Chicago Maroon , September 22, 2019 *  Read the Amazon reviews ! Buy Milo Chronicles ! You can get it on Amazon or direct from the publisher at

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... four pairs of shades, three seals of love , two friends-in-arms , and a Fencing Bear in a MILO tree . *  In 2015 Rachel Fulton Brown, an associate professor of medieval history at the University of Chicago, published a post on her blog, Fencing Bear at Prayer, whose title alone—“Three Cheers for White Men”—seemed engineered to raise hackles. Dorothy Kim, then an assistant professor of English at Vassar College, responded in a post of her own, calling Brown’s 228-word, somewhat cheeky paean to the historical upside of white men, which included praising knights for embracing courtly love as an alternative to rape, an example of “white fragility+benevolent sexism.” They’ve been trading jabs ever since, in dueling essays and on Facebook and podcasts. When Kim wrote a warning on the blog “In the Middle” to her colleagues in 2017 about the importance of “not upholding white supremacy in the classroom,” it seemed dire

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... three seals of love, two friends-in-arms , and a Fencing Bear in a MILO tree . *  [ Milo Chronicles ], long anticipated, is a beacon of light. Written by the esteemed Rachel Fulton Brown, Associate Professor of History at the world-renowned University of Chicago, it sings a song of love, faith, hope and joy. Her lyrical prose invites the reader to enjoy a deep and soulful understanding of one of the most misunderstood public figures of our time. An understanding that only she, knowing and loving Milo as she does, can impart.   Professor Fulton Brown and Milo Yiannopoulos, dissimilar in many ways, are nevertheless soul-bonded in Christ and in their dedication to the fight for Western Civilization. They are a formidable pair, and we are stronger for their having met and joined forces.  A real-life Fairy Tale that instructs and edifies, Milo Chronicles serves as an excellent guide to victory in the culture war.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... two friends-in-arms, and a Fencing Bear in a MILO tree. *  In September 2016, University of Chicago history professor Rachel Fulton Brown forged an unlikely bond with free speech activist and firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos. Since then, Fulton Brown has celebrated the friendship in dozens of intellectually bracing essays. These Milo Chronicles explain the twists and turns of Yiannopoulos's volatile professional life and recall ghastly encounters with social justice warriors that almost destroyed her career. In this collection, the pair emerge as united by their Catholic faith and a mutual resolve to subdue the vindictive progressive scolds who despise and defame them. Overflowing with tenderness and righteous fury, Fulton Brown's meticulous defenses of Yiannopoulos as a cultural icon—and devoted friend—are part handbook for prospective culture war combatants, and part moving testament to the intense spiritual

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... a Fencing Bear in a MILO tree! You won’t want to miss getting your own copies—one for yourself, many for fellow Milophiles, not to mention the SJWs in your life!  Milo Chronicles: Devotions 2016-2019 is now on sale through  Amazon or direct from the publisher at Castalia House . You can watch Milo and me talk about all my books on Friday Night’s All Right,  with subscription at Censored.tv or on Milo’s YouTube channel . For my continuing adventures with Milo, see the Milo Chronicles .

The link from Milo’s Telegram channel lets them into the chat room, at which the Guardian Dragon greets them with instructions: Welcome, N. Announce yourself with a HAIL QUEEN MILO. Then, read the rules. Some say nothing after their opening “Hail.” Others begin tossing out challenges at once. Everyone wants Milo’s attention—but not all for the same reasons. The e-thots are the least subtle , but then they are women. ( Pro tip : We women aren’t as sneaky as we would like to believe.) Regardless, a pretty woman is almost always able to take over the chat instantly with her selfies and questions, the men leaping either to court her or mock her. I confess myself somewhat in awe of their tactics, even as it drives me nuts how they divert the conversation. Oh, to be able to swan into a saloon and have the men at your feet! The men are harder to read. This being Milo’s chat, many are gay, which means they give off signals to each other that I don’t always catch. Others come in c

What would you do if you found yourself inside a fairy tale? Three years and a few months ago, I wrote to Milo Yiannopoulos. “Dear Mr. Yiannopoulos,” I wrote. “I teach at the University of Chicago.” It was the most carefully crafted introduction I have ever composed. I knew people talked about him as MILO.  Breitbart  even used a special magenta font to highlight his articles on their site. But I wanted him to know that I was serious in my respect. And I wanted him to know that I was a professor—and where. Somehow, miraculously, I said the right thing to catch his attention. He wrote back immediately. The rest is history — and now it’s a book ! I have never enjoyed writing anything as much as I have enjoyed writing for and about Milo these past three years. It has been quite the adventure, challenging me in ways I had never dreamed it would, but not for a moment have I regretted taking the risk of becoming part of Milo’s story. Call him what you will for his mischie

To hear Milo talk about it, it is better than sex. “Taunting,” Milo says, “is the way men bond.” It is also the way that they establish hierarchy. Do you doubt me? Try joining Milo’s Telegram chat, and see how long you last before the boys make it clear who is who in the game. There are those who come in and demand to be made admins. There are those who think that the way to impress Milo is to insult me, his “mom.” There are those who play it safe and attack only each other. And there are the women, who play an entirely different game. A few of the women know how to play the boys’ game, but most women play as women for the attention of the men. The men humor them—or white knight for them—but the real game is getting Milo’s attention. Which is when the real fun begins. Not everyone survives it. I have been trying to figure out why. Just today, yet another of the men who had previously attracted Milo’s attention (B.T.=Before Telegram) posted a riposte to Milo’s s

Every so often a message goes out on Milo’s Telegram channel , inviting newcomers to join his private chat. The most recent message promised justice: Judge Milo. The people are real. The cases are real. The rulings are final. Previous invitations have included offers of refreshments: Milo’s Sweet Teas. Our family of high-quality teas are made with natural ingredients. The only thing that makes Milo’s [tea] even more delicious is enjoying it with food! political action: Committee for the Re-election of the Faggot. Open to all God-fearing fag devotees.  educational programs: Scented Flaps. Welcome, freshmen! In Body Positivity 101, you’ll learn how being a corpulent ham planet is cool and healthy, and how the stench of putrefying flesh and moldy leftovers is just nature’s own seductive fragrance. Ask Prof. Yiannopoulos for his office hours.  and prayers for penance: Il Vaticano. Deus meus, ex toto corde paenitet me omnium meorum peccatorum, eaque detestor, quia peccando,

Would you like to learn to pray like a medieval Christian—but couldn’t afford the luxury hardcover edition? Wait no longer!  Mary and the Art of Prayer: The Hours of the Virgin in Medieval Christian Life and Thought  is now available in paperback as well as in hardcover and eTextbook editions. You can purchase on Amazon or directly through Columbia University Press . For a taste of the sweetness, read chapter 2 here ! Reviews This volume is a stunning accomplishment―beautifully written, scholarly, and inspiring. Using medieval sources, it gives a detailed presentation of how the man or woman of the late Middle Ages may have read a book of hours. The resonances and allusions of each word and image are teased out so that the modern reader is able to engage the ancient devotion from, as it were, the inside. Both secular scholars and theologians will find their work enriched by reading Mary and the Art of Prayer. It leads the reader into the world of late medieval religious practice an

John Lobell and I talked about what I teach, what Christianity has to do with Western civilization, how prayer works, whether Mary is a goddess, and how I came to be friends with Milo. Listen at  Visionaries ! For a complete list of my videos, radio, and podcast appearances, see Bear On Air .

A special treat from the archives for All Saints’ Day! Who wants to be a saint? What would you give to be a better person? I am sure you are all busy today working on your New Year’s resolutions, promising to make something of your life beyond watching cat videos on Buzzfeed and knitting pussy hats for your girlfriends. Kidding! No, I’m not. I’m sure you are! Maybe you are even promising yourself to follow MILO’s advice for how to get a  girlfriend :  Focus on making yourself irresistible. Which means work out, become successful, be funny, look good, have the world at your fingertips…. You need to focus on making yourself the best possible version of yourself that you could be…. Strive for nothing but your own colossal success, and you will find people just desperate to be around you, of both genders. Cue SJW outrage. You can see some of it even on MILO’s own YouTube channel.  “Fall in love with yourself, then find someone like you” — what more could we