Off The Page

Last summer, I met Chris Fann, the editor at Off the Page, for coffee at Lyon Street Cafe. We talked about writing. He had a copy of IMAGE journal with him and he said that the type of writing he is looking for ought to explore the Christian faith, but he doesn’t want readers to walk away with a “meh” feeling after reading writers’ posts. I told him I’d like to give it a shot and we set some deadlines, none of which I made. I wrote him in the middle of October and said, “Sorry, but I think I better bow out.” The essay I’d been working on since July was not coming together. He wouldn’t take no for an answer and gave me another deadline (I think this one was my fifth) – sometime in January 2016.

I made that deadline, and that story will come out April 1. Today though, I have another one on Off The Page. It’s for Holy Week and I write about a group of guys at Starbucks, Justin Bieber, and Judas. Interested in how I pull it off? Read it here.

I owe the idea of this essay to Cameron Dezen Hammon. She and I were in graduate school together and I keep up with what she’s up to via social media. A few weeks ago, she posted a picture on Instagram with the caption: Everything I love is broken. I commented, “That would be a great essay.” She said, “Write it!” So I did. Thanks Cameron, for the inspiration!