“What if,” I said to Jesse – quietly, carefully, – “we didn’t make this part into a closet?” I took a step back, ready not so much for an argument, but for a series of questions that would unpack a well-thought out plan for what in the world this space could possibly be if not a closet. “And do what… View Post

Once, during a writing workshop I was co-leading, a writer asked me if writing was more inspiration or habit. “Or a mixture of both?” she added. It’s a great question, and one I think she answered with her third question. I write because I’m inspired (or haunted, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference), but it is the habit –… View Post

The following is a given memory and it goes like this: My brother Geoff and I were at a bar in Chicago waiting to listen to The Abstract Giants to perform. Back then, what was great about these smaller venues, was we got to witness the making of the band. We got to watch them figure out their voice; their… View Post

If you read yesterday’s chapter, then you know about the “Batter Up” game, which is a game I do not endorse – at all – but admit would’ve been thrilled to know about (and try) when I was 15 or 16. This chapter is my favorite so far. It is awkward and painful and sad. It’s sweet, too. I wanted… View Post

I once knew a boy who adored Hank Aaron. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and I’m not about to argue about anything regarding sports, but this boy’s admiration was intriguing given the fact that Aaron wasn’t playing baseball anymore. Most people were talking about Frank Thomas or Sammy Sosa (at least, if you were growing up where… View Post