CURRENT MISSION

I'm a writer and a reporter. That is who I am and what I want to do.

ABOUT ME

My friends would say I have two great dogs (I think I have the only hound dog in West Virginia named for a Jazz musician - and in fact Elvin really is a great animal. As his new little pal Max, also named for a Jazz drummer). More to the point they would probably describe me as fairly self-reliant and mostly unflappable. They would probably say I'm also a very good writer, and very political. I've been described as smart and hard-headed, although I also think I'm relaxing some as I get older.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

I've traveled around the US a lot, and some in Mexico and Canada. Usually when I travel I don't want to spend a lot, so I rely on staying with people. When I drove around the country after college I strayed with friends or in youth hostels. That was great. I've also had some good experiences letting random people stay at my house.

Interests

I spend most of my time writing, either as a freelance reporter (how I make my living) or writing fiction & poetry. I now live in a small house more-or-less in the woods on the edge of Charleston, WV. Since I don't have TV and have tried to reduce the number of distractions around, I spend a lot of time staring at a computer screen. Or looking out the window, or reading and listening to music in my living room, or walking in the woods with my dog, or eating dry cereal out of the box, or watching the fireflies, or...

I play Frisbee ultimate (I'm the worst player on the best team in town) or host poetry readings. I also act in some local Shakespeare productions. But as I put it to a friend of mine, the hermit mostly leaves his house to buy groceries or play Frisbee.

• animals
• dogs
• writing
• poetry
• acting
• walking
• politics
• news
• reading
• tv
• traveling
• music
• jazz
• boxing
• economics
• freelancing
• history
• journalism

Music, Movies, and Books

I'm a fan of a lot of different music and movies, although my life has been increasingly quiet of late. I guess I tend towards artsy music and films.

I've also read way too much.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

As a reporter I've covered a lot of big stories, good and bad. Elections, mine disasters, the Oklahoma City bombing, the NSA's wiretapping. Some of the best were from smaller news stories- crawling into the den of a drugged momma bear to count the cubs, finding out how minor league wrestlers fix their matches (sorry to break it to the fans), recording thousand year old folk songs from a West Virginia singer who learned them from her mother. Google my name and NPR or the New York Times and some of my stuff should come up.

I still cover news, but now more of my time is spent on less public pursuits. I get a lot out of writing a good page of dialog, or getting a character right on stage as an actor. These kinds of things might be less important, but they can be just as satisfying.

Teach, Learn, Share

I know a lot about writing, and I'm pretty good at teaching people to write. But I'm tough, so be warned. If you want to learn something about West Virginia, I'm probably a decent source.

I also have a lot of opinions about politics, economics, history etc. etc. But that's more just bloviation than teaching.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, Mexico, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States