Writing

In addition to my academic work, I write essays, fiction and poetry. I also travel a fair amount and sometimes write about that.

Essays

  • How ‘Living Architecture’ Could Help the World Avoid a Soul-deadening Digital Future, an essay on beauty in design, communicating some of the ideas of Christopher Alexander. Published in The Conversation, August 2022.
  • Finding Heroes In A Messy Digital World, an essay on the difficulty and urgency of recognizing heroes in the world today. Published in Noema Magazine, April 2022.
  • Notes On Lanzhou, a lyric essay sharing my experience teaching in Lanzhou, in northwest China, in Fall 2019. Published on Medium, November 2019.
  • On Repeat: Running Ultramarathons, an essay on the joy and meaning of repetition. Yes, repetition can be boring, but that's not a bad thing. Published in The Smart Set, October 2019.
  • Why would anyone choose to run a 100-mile race? – A reflection on joy and suffering in ultramarathon running. Published in America Magazine, April 2018.
  • Floaters – There’s a bunch of junk in my eyes. It’s been there for as long as I can remember. Published in Soft Cartel, February 2018.
  • Business Cards – Shuffling through my keepsake business cards, I reflect on the places I've been. Published in Across the Margin, October 2017.
  • Lines of Spines: What is a Library? – A meditation on what libraries can be today, rooted in Haruki Murakami's novel Kafka on the Shore. Published in The Smart Set, June 2017.
  • Running and Worldmaking – We make worlds in everything we do, and running is no different. Here I reflect on the strange world of ultrarunning. Published in Sinkhole, March 2017.

Fiction

Technically speaking, I started writing my first novel in eighth grade. I didn't have much of a plan; I just wrote. I abandoned that story at 10,000 words, but I kept on writing other things. I worked on a number of short stories throughout high school and college, and later came back writing novels. I self-published a couple of these novels, which you can find below. It's a dream of mine to "make it" as a novelist (i.e., get traditionally published and make at least a little money from the pursuit), but in the meantime I'm having fun exploring new worlds and learning how to tell better and better stories.

Novels

The Eternal Parade tells the story of Evan, a recent art school graduate who, out for a walk one day, gets dive-bombed by a red-winged blackbird. Soon after, a mysterious band of 18th-century Japanese nomads appears at the door of nearby church looking for a place to rest. Evan is attracted to these travelers, and he becomes friends with one of them—whose name is, incidentally, also Evan. As the two get to know each other, they learn that they have much more in common than just their name.

In Koan, María Teresa has been arranged to marry Guillermo, the son of a wealthy businessman. That wouldn't be so bad if she didn't already have feelings for Álvaro, one of her oldest friends. When she's struggling most, María Teresa turns to the Church in hopes of a miracle. Things take a turn for the worse when she turns up pregnant, pointing her finger at the parish priest. A family and romantic drama set in 1980's Madrid.

Short Stories

  • The River God – "Our town used to have a river god. Most towns did. And like most river gods, ours is dead now." Published in Alexandria Quarterly, August 2017.
  • Luisa – A lovelorn man goes on a melancholic trip for work. Published in Literally Stories, April 18, 2017.
  • Inventions – A young boy attempts to outdo his cooky Uncle Sigismund, an infamous failed inventor, but things don't quite go according to plan.
  • Zepp's Diner – A lonely diner owner meditates on his life and the curiosities of his city, Saint-Michael. Published in Marquette Literary Review, issue 3, 2011. [PDF]

Poetry

Travel

If you had a year to yourself, with no obligations and unlimited money, what would you do? If you're like most people, you'd go off and see the world. I'm the same way, but I believe that travel should not be relegated to hypothetical situations—I myself specialize in traveling on a shoestring. Fortunately, the academic lifestyle lends itself to travel.

Popping ears, awkward situations, biting fear, boredom, aha moments, snoring hostel roommates, museums, graffiti, long plane rides... I love everything about travel (though I don't always appreciate it in the moment).

When I go abroad, I tend to journal extensively. And draw. And take photos. Read about my travels: