Writing and Creating
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Every time I think about it, the number of years that have passed overwhelms me with something a little less than grief and a little more than wonder. 34 years. . . and counting. And yet, when I tap into the power of that almighty muse that fueled my way through the autumn of 1992,…
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I need your help. In 2025, my primary goal was to immerse myself into my creative endeavors: writing, drawing, crafting, and photography. On all measures, I exceeded my goals. Much of what I accomplished was private and not done with the intention of sharing with a larger audience. The focus was to dedicate more time…
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We are exactly one week away from students showing up in our classrooms and beginning that next year-long journey of their high school experience, and we spent the day at countywide Professional Learning sessions. Ours in the English Language Arts weren’t bad at all. We were fortunate to spend the morning with this year’s HoCoPoLitSo…
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My brother, Warren, raised me on the stories that founded the fantasy genre. From Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to Adams’ Watership Down to Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, we read it all. Not only was he an avid reader of the genre, but he was a pretty damn good artist, too, bringing dragons to life…
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I’m spending my day in another county with my Speech and Debate team, as they take on a number of other schools in our local league. There are a few things that demand my full attention as their coach during the day, especially in the morning and between rounds, but for the most part, I…
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Review: How Icasia Bloom Touched Happiness (Vine Leaves Press), by Jessica Bell Scheduled for release 21 September 2021 By Rus VanWestervelt ***NO SPOILERS*** I don’t know about you, but I have a full shelf of books that I return to often. Sure, I love the plots, and they are entertaining in a way that makes…
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I turn 56 on March 3, so I offer you 56 things I have learned in these 56 spins around the sun. Which of these resonate with you? 1. We are the gatekeepers of the origins, the overtures, of our lives. No one knows us better than we know ourselves. The wisdom that resides within…
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Last night, I was gifted with the opportunity to read for Howard County Poetry and Literary Society (HoCoPoLitSo)’s Wilde Readings series. I read an excerpt from the third chapter of my novel, Fossil Five, where Cassandra reads a letter she wrote to herself five years ago. Personally, it’s an incredibly ironic moment, as my own…
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On January 1, I set out to develop and publish an 11-episode podcast called, “When Fire Reigns.” It’s about the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904 and the mayor who died just three months later, reportedly by his own doing. Today, I published the first episode, just one day before the 115-year anniversary of the great…
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Now that Fossil Five is in the hands of my editors, I have decided to devote the month of January to building a podcast series on the Baltimore Fire of 1904. It was my thesis project in grad school, and after listening to a bunch of podcasts this past week, I think it is the…
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