That’s Why God Made Men — A Short Story
Sean Murphy“An Obvious Truth” by Adam Lupton (Author's note: I remember reading a disturbing piece about the science behind sports-related concussions (and how, a little more than 10 years ago, the…
Happy 90th, Gene Hackman
90 years young, today. Impossible to pick the best performance from a career filled with them. But, if pushed, I'd say The Conversation is his most nuanced and impressive work,…
New World Man: An Appreciation of Neil Peart
He knows changes aren’t permanent, but change is. Taken from Rush’s most famous song, “Tom Sawyer,” this line might best illuminate the “elemental empathy” that came to define Neil Peart,…
A Farewell to the King: Neil Peart
Like, I know, many (many, many) others, it'll be impossible to succinctly or adequately convey my admiration for Neil Peart. (Full and semi-embarrassing disclosure: I wrote my graduate school thesis…
New Original Essay, “Liability”
The porch at Noepe Center for Literary Arts (2016) Special thanks to the awesome team at the (awesomely named) Exterminating Angel Press for featuring this short essay in their latest…
Original Poem, “Bud Powell’s Brain,” in new Anthology
I'm honored to have my poem "Bud Powell's Brain" included in the new anthology Revisiting the Elegy in the Black Lives Matter Era. From the book's description: Revisiting the Elegy…
(Some of) The Music that Devastated Me this Decade
End of decades only come every ten years (look it up), and should inspire reflection, rededication to personal goals, conciliation, and, hopefully, proper perspective, including the fact that, no matter…
Mom, Johnny Mathis and Me
Despite accusations to the contrary leveled by friends (and especially family), I don’t hate Christmas music so much as I’m allergic to cliché and kitsch — and as such this…
The Day The Music Died, Redux (Revisited)
(12/9/2010) It was thirty years ago today... Where were you? I was in my mother's bedroom, kissing her goodbye before I caught the school bus, and I heard the horrible…
What We Talk About When We Talk About Sex (In Fiction)
(Annual update.) WRITING ABOUT SEX is like engaging in sex: it’s hard. Or, it should be. It’s that time of year again, where we can count on three things: shopping-related…