Publications
My mom tried to ban “Where the Sidewalk Ends”
Salon
This featured personal essay on Salon tells the story of my mom trying to ban Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends from my Christian elementary school library. Both the book and the person she has become today have a lot to say about critical thinking and seeing beyond our own point of view.
I Grew Up in a Homophobic World – Then Everybody in My Life Started Coming Out as Gay
HuffPost Personal
HuffPost Personal published a personal essay that gets at the heart of my memoir in progress. Trigger warning: the opening scene contains homophobic protest signs from my childhood family’s run-in with Westboro Baptist in Topeka, KS.
What does the trail want to teach me?
The Half Marathoner
When a section hike on the Appalachian Trail re-triggers an old injury, I’m forced to contend with not only my ego, but also my false ideas about aging, identity, and success.
Memoir Deserves Its Moment
Publishers Weekly
My Soapbox essay on memoirist Annie Ernaux’s Nobel Prize win appeared in the October 17, 2022 print issue of Publishers Weekly. It’s time we give more credence to writers, especially those from marginalized backgrounds, who dare to show up and tell their own stories on their own terms.
We Can’t Eat Grass
The Banyan Review
When my partner and I bought our first house together in a manicured, suburban neighborhood, we decided to transform the land into a yard with purpose. Our sometimes humorous, other times maddening story of effecting change shows what’s possible when we dare to take up space and accept responsibility for our own lot.
What Florida’s Parental Rights Law Means for LGBTQ+ Families
Jacksonville Mom
Signed by Governor Ron DeSantis last spring, the Parental Rights in Education law took effect over the summer and spawned similar bills in more than a dozen other states. Critics’ nickname for the legislation—the “Don’t Say Gay” law—says a lot about what’s in store for Florida’s LGBTQ+ families this academic year.
(a) river rising: Anthology of Women’s Voices
My work is in volumes I and III and is forthcoming in volume IV of Women Writing for (a) Change, Jacksonville’s anthologies. Each volume features women’s words and art from the Jacksonville community, centering on a new theme each year. The latest volume features writing from more than 95 diverse women writers.
How to talk with my son about what makes him different
Uncomfortable Revolution
In the absence of a formal diagnosis, helping my son understand his differences and learn to become his own advocate has been tricky. In this personal essay, what starts as a stressful event at school leads to a revolutionary conversation between us.
Grace Leads the Way
Yoga Journal Magazine
Tucked in the Community section of the magazine, this article highlights Sacred Circles, an interfaith gathering at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
Yoga can get you in the flow
The Writer
This short Take Note article harnesses recommendations from Jeff Davis, author of The Journey from the Center to the Page, on how to use yoga and breath work to enhance the practice of writing.