The Longer Story…
I’ve been creatively slapping words together for the majority of my life. At ten (give or take), I wrote my first real “story“. It was about a man who received a kangaroo in the mail (Mr. Popper’s Penguins style). However, the idea of a strange adventure in an unexpected place was an exciting concept to me at the time and has held tight to my mind long after. The temptation of escape and adventure gave way to endless hours of imagination in the woods that crept right up to the back of my childhood home, which sat snuggly in the middle of Amish country. Now, grown and uprooted from my fellow trees, I often find myself returning to the woods whenever I’m writing a new story.
My relationship with words has been a tumultuous one, to say the least. Soon after being born, it became obvious that I had a speech impediment; I had to manually learn every consonant sound, and I wasn’t able to pronounce my name properly until I was eight. Thankfully, I overcame this challenge and try to say as much as I can to make up for lost time. However, a few years later, in high school, I was diagnosed with dyslexia, something my first drafts proudly display to this day. Despite all the hurdles, my heart always found piece in the depths of a story and so I naturally fell in love with words and the beauty they inspire.
My natural curiosity, fostered my homeschooled up bringing, I became enamored by the endless stories bound up in the guise of human history. I realize now, that what I most wanted, was to understand the world around me. Perhaps to make it less frightening, perhaps because anywhere (even the past) was more interesting then myself, or, maybe because I was fifteen and knights are cool. Whose to say?
Now, what I love most is the comfort brought on when I look at a map or a globe and know why everything is in its place. In a similar vein, I’ve happily been swooned by folklore (a place where stories, humans, and history all come together), from this convergence, my own stories started to flow in earnest.
I write in a manner that delights my inner child and captivates my adult self. I’m currently a staff writer and assistant editor at Coffee house Writers where I work with a wonderfully creative team of great people. Whether it be fiction, poetry, or beyond, my writing is immersed in an unmistakable blend of history, folklore, and nature, with a healthy dose of the weird and wild. As I’ve embarked on adult hood, my writing has followed and in recent years I’ve written primarily literary fiction with themes that reflect my own journey out from the forest and into the world. However, the forest is still with me, and even in the most suburbanized tale, there is sure to by a fairy under the bed.
When I’m not writing, I occupy my time with an endless parade of other projects. From making maps, losing myself in history, crafting board games, or tending to my fish, one thing remains constant: at the heart of each is a rich story.
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This is a free website (when I have something to sell, believe me, you’ll know). That said, if you feel my work is worth it, want to say thank you, and don’t have anything else to do with your spare change, I wouldn’t say no to a coffee… If you can’t, no worries! Sending something you like on the website to a friend is more support than I could ever ask for!
Other Cool People…
• Adam Lastowka – This is a good friend of mine who has his own website all about things he is interested in. He writes good articles and explains technical content very well.
• Coffee House Writers – As mentioned before, I’m part of the editorial team at CHW and have contributed many works of fiction to the site. But it isn’t just me! There is a whole collection of wonderfully talented people who contribute to the site’s catalogue. With writers all over the world, a wide range of fiction, nonfiction, and all forms of poetry, there is so much to read! And with content published every week, its a great place to visit again and again to support up and coming writers.
• Yokai.com, the illustrated database of Japanese folklore – I love Mathew Meyer’s work. Both his art and writings bring the creatures of Japanese folklore to life in a way that captivates, terrifies, and inspires. It’s honestly one of my favorite places for passive perusing.
• One Earth – This site is fantastic! It illustrates the world, climate, and ecology of the Earth in a beautiful and informative way. It’s been a vital resource for SO many projects and continues to be a go-to site for me whenever I need inspiration from our own planet. I’m linking to their Navigator and not the Homepage because it’s the tool I use and one that others can get use out of too. The organization does fantastic work, though, and I would recommend exploring the rest of the site too.
• Aquarium Science – This is, hands down, the best resource for everything related to Aquariums. It’s infinitely informative and nerdy while cutting out all the noise and presenting things as plainly as possible. It’s fantastic.
• Aquadiction – I like fish, and so do the creators at Aquadiction. They have created a great and easy-to-use database of freshwater aquarium fish. If you aren’t into Aquariums, they don’t have much for you, but if you are, then it is a great place to explore and learn.
• Flowgrow – In the same vein, here is a massive database of all freshwater aquarium plants. It’s truly exhaustive and a good place to go to if you want to think, “Woah, there are a lot of plants that like being wet.”