The Monochromatic Convenience of Oversimplification
Today’s educational paradigm of oversimplification has caused the intellectuals among us a great deal of grief. The lure of simplicity is the crux upon which knowledge today is distilled. But, to take simplification to the extent of pacifying the lowest common denominator is a panacea we guzzle down without pausing to consider the consequences. The […]
Will My Prose Age Like Vintage Liquor?
At the end of each year, I find myself in the midst of a familiar introspection. I can’t help but evaluate my growth as a writer. There is an unquenchable desire within me to refine my craft, to make my words flow with more grace, and to articulate my thoughts with clarity and purpose. The […]
New Autobiography by Thomas Slatin: Only the Moon Understands the Beauty of Love
Only the Moon Understands the Beauty of Love is an autobiographical work of nonfiction, wedding Thomas Slatin’s colorful poetic prose with reflections on lost love and sacrifice.
Why You Should Regularly Renew Your Dedication to Writing
Every once in a while, I need to renew my dedication to writing. It’s a curious ritual that I find myself performing every year, a self-imposed checkpoint in my writing journey. I’m sure many writers do this, perhaps with varying frequency or intensity. For me, I find that about every year, I need to refocus […]
Yonder Hills Beyond the St. Croix
This photo was taken by me at Brooks Bluff Cottages one afternoon in 2007, overlooking the St. Croix River in Robbinston, Maine. While I took quite a few photos looking across the river to New Brunswick, Canada, I chose to highlight this one in particular. Thanks to the hills in the background, this was a […]
Self-Awareness Breeds Critical Thinking
There I stood, in the midst of the human experience, my heart pounding like a rambunctious jackrabbit’s, wandering the arid desert of uncertainty. Around me, I saw the frenetic whirlwind of people, like a flock of starlings, their wings beating erratically. As I whispered to myself, “I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,” I […]
From Sunrise to Sundown
From sunrise to sundown, the light touches each of us a bit differently every day. Some days it seems to fail in touching you much at all. Rest assured, though, you will always find a ray of sunshine if you know to look for it. Even if you miss it during the day, there’s always […]
Manifesting Expanding Horizons
Since I began my pursuits as a freelance creative dynamo, the most vital endeavor I still seek to bring into existence are new and creative ways to help people steadily and efficiently expand their horizons. Standing at the precipice of uncharted territories, with riches yet strange and unknown to be discovered, I’ve long wished to […]
A Blue Evening – Photophile Musings
This photo was taken by me at Brooks Bluff Cottages one evening in 2007, overlooking the St. Croix River in Robbinston, Maine. I took it because the entire world looked just as blue as you see it here, and fortunately, at age twenty, I had the presence of mind that this was a shot worth […]
Some Conflicting Ideals of Value
As someone dedicated solely to the craft of writing, I find myself besieged by an eternal question, a riddle entwining itself around the very fibers of my being. How do I deal with this perplexing system of value, which demands my participation, even as I strive to attain a utopian existence free from the shackles […]