Essays
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Losing My Religion
I didn’t attend church regularly while growing up, although I lived in the “Bible Belt” (and still do). I remember going to churches for weddings, as a guest of my friends on occasion, and with my Meema (my dad’s mother) when I would spend some Saturday nights with her but was never officially a member of any church until I was an adult. It’s not knocking my parents in any way; church was just not something we did. We were not a family that prayed before bed or said grace before meals. During holidays, other family members would say grace, and I would bow my head and pray along with…
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The Life and Times of a Not-Starving, Starving Artist
Only a certain number of artists are significantly wealthy, and I am definitely not one of them. When I refer to “artists” I mean people who produce art in the visual realm, in music, in performances, and with the written word, of course. My strengths primarily lie in the written word, but I like to dabble in visual art as well. While I’ve sold my words, I have never sold any of my visual art, though I have given projects as gifts. I’ve never offered it for sale. I imagine the results of doing so would be very similar to my venture out into the publishing world—supplemented by my day…
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Taking Back the “Nerd” Label
I’ve been pondering this “nerd” topic for several months, trying to decide how to best express my thoughts. Having a son in middle school makes the topic relevant now more than ever. Elementary and middle school ages are tough for kids. Junior and Senior high school are tough for kids. That is—these stages are tough for some kids, the nerds.








