writer, teacher, urban planner, gun violence prevention advocate
On June 13th, Maine writers, readers, editors, publishers, and librarians gathered at the Bangor Public Library for the announcement of the 2019 Maine Literary Awards. I was there to meet and mingle with the Maine writing community and to find out if “What A Bullet Can Do” was a winner in the short nonfiction category… …
Continue reading Essay “What A Bullet Can Do” wins 2019 Maine Literary Award!
I'm so excited to share that one of my essays is a finalist for a 2019 Maine Literary Award!! The annual awards are one of the many ways the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance supports the literary community of Maine. I submitted two essays, and I'm not sure which one made it to the final …
Continue reading Short Nonfiction Finalist in 2019 Maine Literary Awards!
August went by in a blur -- not just because I traveled to two conferences and visited family, but also because I was battling upper respiratory symptoms. I powered through several days, then spent many days in bed on antibiotics, and had a handful of days where I felt like my old self... until the …
Hey, y'all. It's been awhile, what with school ending and summer travel kicking in and lots of reading, writing and gardening... I put this news out on social media at the time, but not here, so now I'm letting the blogosphere know that on May 28th another essay of mine - "Standoff" - was published …
Continue reading “Standoff” appears in Aquifer: The Florida Review Online
This August 24-26th I'll be attending a writer's conference known as HippoCamp for the first time and leading a breakout session with my partner Parker Blaney. The session is called Writing Home. HippoCamp is in its fourth year and is an outgrowth of Hippocampus Magazine, a terrific journal founded by Donna Talarico. It publishes only …
I'm thrilled to announce (quite belatedly) that my essay, "The Gun Show," which appeared in The Southeast Review (Vol. 34.2), was named a notable essay in the latest edition of The Best American Essays, edited by Leslie Jamison. “The Gun Show,” tells about my first trip to a gun show in King of Prussia, PA …
Continue reading Another notable essay in Best American Essays 2017
I'm belatedly reporting here that my essay, "To Suckle on Fear," appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of The MacGuffin, a great journal out of Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan. This piece is what is known as a hermit crab essay - an essay that takes the form of some other type of (usually) recognizable …
