This is a place where I can think out loud, work through ideas, and talk about stuff that doesn't fit cleanly into the type of freelance writing I do. Some ideas will be fully formed, others, as the title implies, will be unfinished.
30 Years of Punk Planet: Year One
30 years ago this month the first issue of Punk Planet magazine came out. It's incredible that one issue came out let alone 80 over the following 13 years. It started so small and grew to become my whole life. In honor of the 30 year mark, I'm writing 13 essays, one of each year of the magazine, starting with Year One.
Published on May 31, 2024
Building a Town that Doesn't Exist
This week I gave a talk at the 11ty International Symposium on Making the Web Real Good. It was about Question Mark, Ohio and about how the web is still a place of endless possibility. I've adapted the talk into a blog post for you.
Published on May 10, 2024
I ended the indictment.fyi newsletter tonight and I feel a little guilty about it, so as penance, maybe, or out of a feeling that if I've taken something out of the world maybe I should also put something back in, here's three things I've been particularly excited about lately. Here's three for flinching.
Published on Apr 14, 2024
Fresh out of college and in need of a job I landed in the production department of the Chicago Reader. Now, 30 years later, I'm back to help rebuild its legacy on the web.
Published on Feb 28, 2024
Cooper Black, A Love Story & A Patch
I've loved the typeface Cooper Black long before I knew what it was. Big, bold, and forever it's over 100 years old and still makes me so happy every time I see it. I made a simple patch to celebrate Cooper Black, the greatest of typefaces.
Published on Jan 8, 2024
I'm quitting 2023. After 364 days, today will be my last day. My tenure here has not been a good one and I requested an exit interview with HR so that 2023 can understand why I'm leaving and perhaps, how it might do better in the future.
Published on Dec 31, 2023
Feel So Different, Remembering Sinead O'Connor and Pee-Wee Herman
2023 was a lot of hard things, but losing Sinead O'Connor and Pee-Wee Herman within a few days of each other felt especially cruel. At the tail end of a difficult year I wrote a small offering to the mystic and man-child that meant so much to those of us that grew up different.
Published on Dec 28, 2023
A Man You Don't Meet Every Day, Remembering Shane MacGowan
I thought Shane MacGowan was unkillable. If he hadn't died by now, the logic went, with all the drinking and drugs and living harder than most, maybe he never would. HBut, of course, he did.
Published on Nov 30, 2023
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