October 9th, 2022 Today at the convention, a kid walked up to my booth and picked up a copy of Brushfire. He looked carefully through it and then told me he wanted to look at everything in the room before he decided on what one thing he would buy. He told me he might beContinue reading “NerdinOut Con 2022 Day 2”
Author Archives: dennisvogen
NerdinOut Con 2022 Day 1
October 8th, 2022 Holy cats, Rochester, you showed up today. One of the first things I saw was a young boy with his dad. He had just walked into his first convention ever and he was telling his father how amazing it all was while they were in the moment, experiencing it together. It wasContinue reading “NerdinOut Con 2022 Day 1”
Amsterdam
October 4th, 2022 I knew very little of what I wanted to be as a dad. My friend Kim and I were talking about our families after work tonight; as a special ed teacher, she encountered countless parents who weren’t sure how to react to their families being “different.” She shared with me a storyContinue reading “Amsterdam”
It’s All A History
October 3rd, 2022 “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times,” said David McCullough. “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” When we think of history, we tend to think big. History of cultures, history of religion, history of cities and states and countries, history of the world,Continue reading “It’s All A History”
Edging the Sword
October 1st, 2022 It’s October! Did you miss me?! Back at the beginning of September, I decided to take the month off of writing. I needed to reset. Blow in the cartridge of my brain. I needed a break, an adjustment, and to think about what it is that I do and why I doContinue reading “Edging the Sword”
The Comic Show @ Valley Creek Mall
September 17th, 2022 Oh, the humanity. It can be hard to be human, especially when the world is being particularly human-y. It’s one of the reasons I’m taking a break from essays this month; I’m just not up to dealing with it all right now, and the feeling feels mutual. But today? I needed today.Continue reading “The Comic Show @ Valley Creek Mall”
REDBUBBLE Shop & Comic Show This Weekend
September 13th, 2022 Hiya! Don’t worry, my September break from you still stands, so I won’t be whining about my feelings or crying about stuff or wondering about the nature of our universe today; this is just my shameless self-promotion for the week! TWO THINGS! (Was that too loud? two. things.) First: I will beContinue reading “REDBUBBLE Shop & Comic Show This Weekend”
The Kind Monster
September 6th, 2022 Starting today, I’m going to be taking the rest of the month off from posting essays. I feel like you and I could use a break from each other, in a good way. I hope you’ll catch up on posts, if that’s your thing, or pick up some of my work andContinue reading “The Kind Monster”
For You or Not For You
September 5th, 2022 When I saw the State Fair water tower on the horizon this year, the nostalgia hit me harder than normal. Instead of a general flavor, nostalgia tends to get colored by people whose loss feels recent, like yesterday, even though they’ve been gone, say, nearly two years. It got me thinking aboutContinue reading “For You or Not For You”
Stupid Questions
September 2nd, 2022 “So I was looking at the long term / Three quarters and I quit school / Now I break hearts as a learning tool.” – The Next Step, “Honesty & Happiness” As that lyric accurately describes, I did not go to college for long. Even calling it “college” doesn’t feel right. ButContinue reading “Stupid Questions”
The Den 