100th Anniversary of the Silent Parade

Posted on 18 August 2017

On July 28, 1917, nearly 10,000 African Americans marched in silence to protest lynchings and anti-black violence to appeal to then president Woodrow Wilson to protect their civil rights. The parade occurred after the East St. Louis Riots of 1917, during which white mobs rioted, killing between 40 and 250 Black people and displacing thousands… »

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Year in Review: 2017

Posted on 9 July 2017

This weekend, I’ve used the KIS.list to provide information to people three times. Links to art, links to writing, and details about a past event were all documented in my blog posts. Life is so multidimensional–you can think you’re doing something for one purpose, and discover it has an altogether real-life application in your life…. »

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KIS.list

Vol. 104: Surprising Measures of Growth

Posted on 28 January 2017

Much of the growth that really matters most is infinitesimal in degree. Change is happening but we can’t see it or measure it because it’s happening in such small increments. All writers have their challenges. One of mine has been giving the main character forward action. My unexamined and undeveloped instinct is to talk more… »

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KIS.list

Vol. 103, When Ease Goes

Posted on 7 September 2015

Climber in Red Rocks, Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo: Robert Baker. Most of my self coaching around writing these days is about staying engaged. Stories may take time to come to fruition, and when they do, that doesn’t mean they’re bad stories, or that you’re lacking something as a writer because you can’t connect, it just… »

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KIS.list

Vol. 102, Advice for Writers

Posted on 7 December 2014

In an interview, someone recently asked what was the best advice I received about being a writer. They also asked what advice I had to give to authors starting out. In the season of giving, I will share that advice with you. Though I give you fair warning—it does not feel like a gift. These… »

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KIS.list

Vol. 101, The Boring Wonder of Being Meta About It All

Posted on 9 November 2014

It’s hard not to be meta in this time period when we have so much information flowing at us, but I have noticed that there’s a weird sort of detachment that comes with maturing as an artist. Case in point: Even as I put all this sweat into my novel manuscript, I know that it… »

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KIS.list

Vol. 100, On Hunger and How It Necessitates Relentlessness

Posted on 23 September 2014

Image from the World Food Programme’s Hunger Plate campaign Hunger was quite a theme this weekend. I had lunch with an author. We were both famished by the time we got to the restaurant. She talked to me about her upcoming tour and her latest successes. When I told her I was almost done with… »

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Summer Art Sale

Posted on 29 July 2014

Happy summer! I’ve had a fantastic first half of the year reconnecting with painting and I’m looking forward to ending out the year the same way. To celebrate my creative output, I’m having a summer art sale. Original prices range from $150 to $600 and everything is 10% off. I do payment plans and will… »

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My Writing Process

Posted on 9 June 2014

I’ve been writing a series of blogs on the creative life for over ten years now. While I’ve discussed a range of topics related to the background machinations of developing art, one of the writing-related things I love to discuss the most is process. While I am fascinated with the “how-ness” of artists’ creative processes… »

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MediaPodcast

Cocksure: Word of the Week for this week’s podcast (Episode 5)

Posted on 19 April 2014

I am fascinated with all the background machinations required for a person to commit to a creative life. This week’s podcast focuses on the absolute necessity of confidence. The word of the week is: cocksure. What I know to be true, is that if as an artist you don’t walk around with your own confidence… »

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