In closing

If someone ever asks you to write for a blog about the things you love, do it. Do it even if writing is already your work and you feel like a failure at it. Do it even if you worry that your opinions will be judged — that you’ll be deemed too nerdy or not … Continue reading

Three meditations on Journey

The first time I played Journey, I was a sojourner in a strange land. I started alone, climbing a sand dune to catch my first glimpse of a mountain with a brilliant light glowing at its peak. As I walked toward the mountain, I encountered a glowing mark which wrapped itself around my neck and … Continue reading

Getting together to be alone

Last week I travelled to Chicago to attend a writers’ conference, AWP. AWP is the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. They have a yearly conference in late February where all of the people who belong to AWP, or programs that are associated with AWP, can get together. We attend panels about writing, go to … Continue reading

Prime suffering years

Do you know who Marcel Proust is?…Yeah. French writer. Total loser. Never had a real job. Unrequited love affairs. Gay. Spent 20 years writing a book almost no one reads. But he’s also probably the greatest writer since Shakespeare. Anyway, he uh… he gets down to the end of his life, and he looks back … Continue reading