July 8th, 2024 What if we encouraged children to be kind and caring instead of conditioning them to be shrewd business-people? I thought about this as we drove past a 50-cent lemonade stand the other day. I can usually have good conversations and constructive arguments with people, except when they’ve been brainwashed about a fewContinue reading “Milk Milk Lemonade”
Tag Archives: Understanding
With Great Stupidity Comes No Responsibility
April 29th, 2024 Human beings are objectively both the most intelligent and stupidest species on the planet and, yes, that includes you. One of my favorite writers, Brian Klaas, wrote yet another phenomenal essay last week about this topic and, while you should read the whole thing, I just want to share the piece thatContinue reading “With Great Stupidity Comes No Responsibility”
goosebumps
April 16th, 2024 What is scary for you? I’ve been First Ave- and Prince-obsessed the past several months, diving into library books and PBS documentaries and YouTube videos and resurfaced bootlegs. There’s a quote from Prince in an interview (his last) that I can’t stop thinking about; he was lamenting the current state of musicContinue reading “goosebumps”
Total Eclipse of the Heart
April 8th, 2024 I was wondering why Target was so busy this afternoon until I remembered that today was the end of the world. Reading stories this week about stores of all kinds being overwhelmed with certain types of people planning for the apocalypse had me frequently wondering: planning, exactly, for what? What comes afterContinue reading “Total Eclipse of the Heart”
Fluke
March 11th, 2024 I can say without hyperbole that this book, Fluke, by Brian Klaas, is one of the best I’ve ever read. The problem with reviewing something is that you don’t want to spoil the thing for a potential reader, but you have to say enough to make them feel compelled to read it.Continue reading “Fluke”
The Weirdos, Part VII: The Universe is Bigger Than God
August 30th, 2023 I didn’t finish college (obvs) and I don’t believe in God (sorry, fam), and The Weirdos is what it is because of it. I quit college three quarters in. I frequently tell people that making this graphic novel was my education; most art students have to do a final project, and it’sContinue reading “The Weirdos, Part VII: The Universe is Bigger Than God”
“Faribault famous”
August 2nd, 2023 I did a neat thing last week and it’s out today: the Faribault Daily News published a feature on me + my life + my work! You can check it out on their website at faribault dot com and of course I have some behind-the-scenes tea for you! – Pam and IContinue reading ““Faribault famous””
The Words I Needed Then
July 31st, 2023 Today is the last day of Brushfire month, which means I can shut up about it for a little while now. I tell people that I don’t write for an audience, and that is generally true; I don’t sit down and think of a target person, their age or gender or preferencesContinue reading “The Words I Needed Then”
Brushfire: We Don’t Decide Who It’s For
July 27th, 2023 The best (online) conversation I ever had about my graphic novel The Weirdos was with a fellow dad who let his 13-year-old read it. (The dad and his kid shall remain nameless out of respect for our private conversation, but they are two of the coolest cats I know.) My immediate reactionContinue reading “Brushfire: We Don’t Decide Who It’s For”
the graetness of being human
July 10th, 2023 “Every night you make somebody’s day.” I can’t easily explain why I’m still in the restaurant business after all these years. There are the reasons I keep freely between my fingers like playing cards, displaying them when people ask me to show them a magic trick. As a writer who makes veryContinue reading “the graetness of being human”
