I recently sat down with Michael Stegner, the songwriter, piano player and singer of the Seattle-based band Fascination Nation, to discuss the roots of his songwriting and the release of the band’s upcoming album. Below is a small impression of my time with Michael, as well as several videos of him discussing and performing his [...]
Christmas Consumption
Several years ago I stopped giving Christmas gifts. Every year I felt obligated to purchase things for others, and after a while that began to feel ridiculous. Being required to buy something seemed to contradict the very notion of giving a gift freely and expecting nothing in return. Growing up I had loved Christmas, but [...]
Did I Tackle Your Christmas Tree?
When I’m at a party and people find out that I write stories, their usual response is, Oh that’s nice, and then they quickly turn and talk to the nearest person other than me. Apparently writing is about as interesting to the average person as my being a condiment delivery-man, a taxidermist or a professional stationary [...]
How to say Jellyfish in Arabic
Any traveler to a foreign land has experienced the trials and frustrations that come with conducting oneself in unknown language. Recently I was in Paris, where I passed my first few days in conversation wearily. It had been over eight years since I’d spoken French with any consistency, and any competency with the language I’d [...]
Pool Balls, or the bar fight that occurred on my last night of work
I recently completed my last night of work at the local Pub where I’ve worked for nearly the past two years. To mark the occasion, my co-worker Ben and I decided to dress snappily in the old bartender/piano-player look: white dress shirt, black vest, black tie, black pants. We couldn’t find garters for our arms, [...]