Welcome to my new blog. Hopefully, you have stumbled upon this little gem while performing a Google search for “Best New Poets.” If not, well, welcome anyways. And before you start asking questions, let me give you some answers. First, about me.
I’m a complex person. At first glance, I don’t look like much or, I look like too much. Pretty average white guy, if I’m being honest. From a young age I was interested in storytelling but never applied myself to the mastery of the craft. Again, if I’m being honest, I wouldn’t consider what I do mastery in any sense of the word. But, it was there, lying dormant. Throughout the many adventures in my life, I continued to feel the call to write, whether journaling or writing short stories or dabbling in poetry.Things changed when I came back from Iraq in 2005 a tad bit different than I was in early 2004. Fast forward 14 years and I found myself given the opportunity to begin writing again, but this time as therapy. Shortly after I began writing and honing my craft, tragedy struck our family when our oldest daughter passed away. Her death sent me into a spiral of anger and depression that led me onto a path of self-healing. Writing was a huge part of that healing.
If nothing else, the passing of our child drove me to pursue writing as more than just words for myself. So, I published my first collection of poetry, The Average American. For me, it is an observation of the world around us, with questions of the spiritual and philosophical nature. Each poem, each word was chosen for a reason: To lead the reader into questions regarding what they believe to be true or to see the world around them from a different perspective. I fear that my failure in this first endeavor was that the poems were too soft and the messages too subtle for them to really be emblazoned in the reader’s mind. I’ve spoken to a lot of people that have read my work. Some are able to see clearly what I am saying. Others, not so much. But, that’s okay. I don’t hold it against anyone if they are unable to connect the dots I lay out in front of them. I chalk it up to them not having opened their minds or expanded them enough to understand, fully, what I have to say. Again, that’s okay, they haven’t done the things I have to reach that operational capacity.
That’s me. That’s who I am. If you prefer the shortened bio version: I am a writer living in North Carolina. I’ve lived many lives and have many stories to tell. My days are spent with my dogs and my family while I tend to my gardens, work on racing equipment or just enjoy my time in nature. Boring, right?
So, now, let’s ask the big question…
Who are you?
