October 20th, 2022 For the second installment of my Halloween series, let’s take a closer look at Steven Quincy Urkel. First things first: can we just give my mom a massive round of applause for acknowledging that her white boy loved Steve Urkel but also understood that he did not need to look EXACTLY likeContinue reading “The Characters Who Inspired Me, Part 2”
Tag Archives: Minnesota
I Heart Kaleidoscope
October 19th, 2022 Unlearning can be learning. For a second year, I was lucky enough to be invited to teach Kaleidescope, an arts program for LGBTQ+ youth in Faribault. We meet in the Buckham Memorial Library, which is surreal, because I grew up just a block away and spent so much of my young lifeContinue reading “I Heart Kaleidoscope”
The Characters That Inspired Me, Part 1
October 17th, 2022 On hard days, people will remind you to think of the good memories, and my pockets are full of those. A lot of those memories revolve around Halloween. My mom loved to see what characters inspired me, and it inspired her own creativity every year when I inevitably asked her to craftContinue reading “The Characters That Inspired Me, Part 1”
A Not-Slow News Week!
October 11th, 2022 Interviews! Awards! Mankato! This week is full of good news if you’re a fan of me or bad news if you don’t like me or want me to succeed at all. So shall we? First things first: I have a new interview up at CanvasRebel! It’s short and sweet and has someContinue reading “A Not-Slow News Week!”
NerdinOut Con 2022 Day 2
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”
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”
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”
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 