The strike impacts all of us — not just Hollywood writers — “Those people are so whiny. And rich. Rich and whiny.” These are the obnoxious words my acquaintance ironically whined with disdain about the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) strike. I felt my stomach clench and my ears grow hot. I could’ve slammed him with a witty retort, but instead, I…

Reflections on three days of non-stop driving — The smell of manure hits me as I cross the state line from Colorado to Kansas. It lingers for the rest of my trip across the state. Nothing to see here but fields, farms, and the occasional cow. For those who’ve never driven across Kansas — imagine an endless purgatory…

Coming to terms with my unwanted capacity for intentional wickedness — I’ve been thinking about evil a lot recently. ‘Not a light topic for summer fare, evil. The capacity we each hold to rationalize our own evil actions or the evil of those who we love and support. The tsunami of acts of malevolence that crash over every civilization and impact…

I can’t wait to see you all there — Picture Coachella, but with less pot smoke, no rich, reality show kids donning hooka shells, no port-a-potties, and the opportunity to interact with and learn from other writers without leaving your living room. It’s not a beautiful, impossible dream. On August 12, 2023, this dream can become your reality. I…

A nostalgic glimpse at the original Amazing Stories — In my 3s, everything scared me. Strangers. Dogs (sadly). Heights. Loud voices. The vein on my dad’s forehead that would pop out when he was angry. My mom’s questionable new permed hairdo. My morning routine of watching Sesame Street followed by The Electric Company was often disrupted when, in the…

A personal tribute to a wickedly talented performer and an authentic, messy human — Sinéad O’Connor died this week. And a part of me died too. That may sound melodramatic — I never knew the angelic singer personally. And yet, I feel like I did. It’s always sad to hear of artists who die too young. We grow up along with them, and their…

I listen to an excessive amount of spooky podcasts — What I’m about to share with you may make you question my intelligence and my sanity. However, it might also cause you to snort-laugh uncontrollably and I have a deep-rooted, insatiable need to make people laugh. Thus, I’m willing to take that risk. A day full of murder vans and…

Why do we let these nasty creatures live inside our heads? — My finger hovered over the email subject line as sweat conspicuously dropped from my brow. “Winners Announced” it declared. Was my life about to change? After umpteen writing contests, I’d managed to place or shortlist in several. …

I’d reach adulthood before I recognized how much my brother rocks — Atop my big brother’s gangly, preteen shoulders, I stretched my arms to the sky and uttered a poor imitation of Tarzan. I wobbled for a moment and then became a giant. If I’d been a bit older, I may have uttered, “I am become life, the creator of worlds.” On…