Sharp pain behind my right eye. Throbbing brain. A vortex of omnipresent pain. A doorbell chimed vaguely in the background. A customer appeared. Black. Queer. Immigrant. That trifecta, people thought, was the worst possible hand, he said. But he identified privilege in the knowledge that he could chart his own path, could see a future... Continue Reading →
If my goal is to be an antiracist—not just as a badge I stick on my person for a nod & a smile from other white liberals but as a way of being that goes to the core not only of my actions but my beliefs and my ideas/thoughts—I’m going to be wrong a lot. A whole hell of a lot.
Walking into the Scholastic Book Fair as a kid made me tingle with anticipation. All those Apple paperbacks lined up just so, each of them a whole little world contained in its pages. And then there were the scented erasers, which I collected like trading cards but refused to use. Ever. At 9 years old,... Continue Reading →
One of the greatest joys of being sober is doing shit you never even dreamed of... I didn't have such a great imagination when I was drinking. Sure, I could sit on a barstool & tell you I was going to run a marathon the year I turned 30 (even though I'd never run more... Continue Reading →
I suck at small talk. It's taken me a long time to reckon with that truth. But there it is. I love people, though. I think they're endlessly fascinating. But only if they're telling me about things that mean something to them. This made me ill-suited for office potlucks. But uniquely suited to own a... Continue Reading →
I've been thinking a lot about place lately: how where we are from constructs who we are. And I've been drawn to books that explore place as internal landscape. My mother's family is from South Georgia. Although I grew up in Florida, I always considered myself a dis-placed Southerner. According to my Northern oriented friends,... Continue Reading →
My current life is highly improbable. Maybe that's why I find it so beautiful. It's a bit of a mystery to me how I got here. But, yet, here I am. From the time I was 8 years old, adults constantly nudged and prodded me toward leadership roles. But I was having none of that.... Continue Reading →
Almost 2 years ago, I got this wild idea to open a bookstore. What could be better for an extrovert with an immense enthusiasm for both people & books, right? Except that I tend toward the risk-adverse. And I have a well-documented history of sticking with what I'm good at. Running a business? Well, that... Continue Reading →
