Words create worlds.
Abraham Joshua Heschel (or perhaps Ludwig Wittgenstein)
I tweet regularly, post on this blog monthly and have filled several notebooks with ideas for short stories, essays and book projects that I hope to complete someday. Occasionally, I take on special writing assignments.
Broomfield Yesterday: Excerpts from The Sweep Report 2.0 — The historical excerpts in this new booklet explore often-untold chapters of our collective past, from the displacement of Native peoples to the U.S. settlement-development of our area up to the present. The booklet is designed to aid teachers and students in Broomfield classrooms, as well as area residents, seeking a more complete understanding of local history.
The Sweep Report 2.0: Housing from below in Broomfield, Colorado, USA — This capstone to my two years of “housing catalyst” work in the Broomfield area chronicles a Front Range community, critiques existing housing dynamics and proposes near-future actions steps toward comprehensive housing stability. Published March 31, 2022.
*** Buy a copy on Lulu.com ***
On Faith — In 2019 and into 2020, I contributed a column every few months to the Broomfield Enterprise‘s “On Faith” series.
The Sweep Report: A look at key indicators, trends and needs in Broomfield, Colorado, USA — Co-written with Karen Smith, the former executive director of the Broomfield Community Foundation, this 68-page report was published in May 2012. The eight months I spent doing research for this project opened my eyes like never before to stories of need in my community. It has since been referenced by non-profits, faith communities and government agencies, and led to partnerships to address affordable housing and other ongoing local challenges.
A Breviary Toward Wholeness — My hand-copied and decorated prayerbook integrates prayers from The Northumbria Community’s Celtic Daily Prayer, my favorite quotes and Scripture passages as daily readings and meditations, and reminders of helpful prayer practices.
Powers: The Serial — Nine episodes of true-to-life fiction set in the “present day.” Written in 2011.
On the Way: Re-Imagining the Pilgrimage of a Would-Be Messiah — In 2001, I walked El Camino de Santiago (The Way of St. James) in Northern Spain. Years later, I helped host pilgrims at a tiny waystation-refuge on the Camino, after which I wrote a first draft of On the Way. Long before he became the subject of Camino legends, St. James likely had an experience that prompted him to leave his fishing nets behind. On the Way interweaves history and fiction to re-imagine that moment.
*** Read an excerpt from the Introduction ***
*** Buy a copy on Lulu.com ***
Everyday Epics Podcast — I tried podcasting for a bit in 2017 and then pooped out. I may try again at some point. Stay tuned!
“…Once, for instance, my father asked me a series of questions that suddenly made me wonder if I understood even my father, whom I felt closer to than any man I have ever known. “You like to tell true stories?” he asked and I answered, “Yes, I like to tell stories that are true.” Then he asked, “After you have finished your true stories sometime, why don’t you make up a story and the people to go with it? Only then will you understand what happened and why…”
Norman Maclean, “A River Runs Through It”