Dec 29, 2022Member-onlySober Curious? Just Ask MeI haven’t had a drink in forever — literally — A week ago, when my family gathered to celebrate Christmas, my sister did something odd: she pulled out a bottle of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey (“Tastes Like Heaven, Burns Like Hell”) and offered it around. It was odd to offer it to our parents, as our father is a retired Southern…Alcohol6 min readAlcohol6 min read
Dec 23, 2022Member-onlyTop Ten Signs That You Accidentally Married into a Family of Elves(10) Your wife needs a separate closet for all the shoes she has made. They’re all red velvet. (9) At your wedding reception, your wife’s cousins did shots of maple syrup. (8) There is a hot chocolate bar in your basement. In July. (7) Your father-in-law is a fourteenth generation…Christmas1 min readChristmas1 min read
Dec 13, 2022Member-onlyI Almost Died From Health MisinformationHere is what I learned — I knew something was up when I couldn’t breathe. It was a week before Christmas 2020, and I was walking from the library where I work to a nearby Subway for lunch. The walk takes ten minutes. I’ve done it many times. This time, though, my breathing was heavy. Not…Health8 min readHealth8 min read
Aug 25, 2022Member-onlyI Worked for a Predatory Law SchoolDoes that make me a predator too? — Not many people get to start a library from scratch. I did. On June 5, 2006, I became the fourteenth employee, and first librarian, at the nation’s newest law school, the Charlotte School of Law. Things were great for a while. Then they weren’t. My boss resigned after less than…Education9 min readEducation9 min read
Aug 24, 2022Member-onlyWhat Has My Stepson Jace Been Up To?A tale of love and loss in America’s heartland — That’s my car, above. The one belching flames. Well, I say it’s mine. What I mean is, I am the legal owner. Was the legal owner. I imagine the burned-out hulk is now sitting in some Iowa scrapyard. The car is a 2004 Toyota Corolla, which I bought in 2005…Love6 min readLove6 min read
Published inSexography·Aug 23, 2022Member-onlyHow I Learned About Sex from Popular FictionIt’s an essential outlet, according to scholars — I did not learn about sex in school. I did not learn about it on TV. I did not learn about it from Larry Flynt, Marvin Gaye, or Revenge of the Nerds. Aviaries and apiaries played no part in my sensual education. I didn’t learn about it from my friends…Sex5 min readSex5 min read
Mar 7, 2022Member-onlyCensorship? Unfettered Expression? How About Neither?It is okay that some ideas are never shared. — “When a class discussion goes poorly for me,” writes University of Virginia senior Emma Camp in a recent New York Times article, “I can tell.” She relates the story of advancing a controversial opinion during a feminist theory class in her sophomore year. The idea didn’t go over well. The…Writing5 min readWriting5 min read
Published inThe Writing Cooperative·Nov 5, 2021Member-onlyOn the Pleasures of Reviewing Self-Published BooksDoing it right can have a big impact — Q: What do John Grisham, Margaret Atwood, Andy Weir, and Stephen King have in common? A: Several things. All are bestselling authors. Award-winning authors. Authors who are written about and studied and among the finest authors working today. And all have, at one time or another, self-published their work. Grisham…Writing8 min readWriting8 min read
Aug 24, 2021Member-onlyI Am Engaged to My Fourth WifeWhat will it mean to re-enter the institution of marriage? — Last night, I dreamt I went to a wedding again. Mine. It seemed to me I stood by the altar, beneath an arch, my feet on petals, and afterward I could not move, for the reception was barred, and plated. There was a ball and chain upon my ankle. Well…Marriage7 min readMarriage7 min read
Published inFanfare·Dec 16, 2020Member-onlyNo, “The Crown” Doesn’t Need a Disclaimer That It’s FictionWho would believe it anyway? — God save our gracious Queen, Long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen; Send her victorious, Happy and glorious, Long to reign over us . . . And please, God, please, make her look good on Netflix. Since 2016, the streaming service has been home to The Crown, a…Television5 min readTelevision5 min read
