It is two days after Martin Luther King Day and two days before the 45th Presidential Inauguration. We began the week by honoring the memory of a man who emerged…
When I first learned that Wisconsinites called water fountains "bubblers" I laughed and thought it was ridiculous. Now, after more than six years of living in Wisconsin, I'll be the…
I keep a hand-written journal, to log the often boring, redundant, silly, serious, terrible, hopeful, vulnerable thoughts that I have. My current journal is handmade and has a sister that…
"Only a fool trips on what's behind him." I had a thrilling, amazing, tumultuous, nerve-wracking, at times unpredictable, unforgettable, educational, creative, and fulfilling 2016. Full of growing pains and gains,…
When I was a kid, my parents pounded into my head how lucky I am to have been born in the US. My mom, especially, emphasized how lucky as a…
I've been thinking a lot about what makes for meaningful work. People often think that finding meaning is the same as finding happiness. More accurately, it's about being willing to…
My mother once told me the story of a cartoon she saw in a newspaper some years ago, which explained God. In the cartoon, God is a faceless, featureless oval on a table. People come…
Did you miss my show at Arts + Literature Laboratory? Here's a recap of why I chose to focus on power and a video of the story I told at the reception.…
Lanesboro Arts Center is beautiful. The space is bright, open, welcoming, and full of activity. They regularly host artists and writers to use the space as a getaway to focus on projects,…
We are a culture in transit, both for the joy and the agony of it. Our long work commutes depress us, while ideas of travel and escape excite us. In…
I'm a lover of paradox, for those who didn't know, especially the man-made ones. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, you need a parking permit to keep your car on the street at night.…
I recently wrote an article called “The Myth of the Starving Artist—and what it can teach us about job security.” In it, I discuss how society’s attitude towards art parallels…
The chase. The game. Love it or hate it, love it and hate it. Choose to play, choose not to play. There's no getting away from it. Our existence depends on…
My mom, like most parents, worries about my happiness and wellbeing, which means she spends a lot of time thinking about me being unhappy and unwell. Funny how that works, right?…
It's taken me waaaay too long to finally put this information together, but since a lot of people have asked, here's what one year of "underemployment" looks like since I…
It was 1991. I was three years old. My dad was in Seattle and my mom would be alone with me that winter. The road was covered with ice on…
We need to be teachers. Whenever we learn something new, we should immediately ask, "How can we share this?" Our greatest asset as human beings is our ability to actively,…
Fall. This is the season when the trees undress and the people cover up. Once again, the seasons teach us how shared conditions lead living things to change in different…
This is in response to the rape that happened on the Madison bike path, which is now one of four attempted attacks since July. To my friends in Madison--and those…