I Dropped Out of Grad School To Become a Missionary

Todd County Kentucky

 What’s the most crazy, outrageously impulsive thing you’ve ever done?  I was not an impulsive kid. I was unhappy and anxious, but I did what was expected of me for the most part. I also learned early on to carefully watch for opportunities – an extension of  a survival instinct. I rarely did the unexpected […]

I’m Officially a Social Media Maven

It has been a long climb from the valley of the shadows of the person most likely to post their cereal choices on Facebook, but I made it! A ha! I may have carpal tunnel syndrome from 8+ years of blogging, composing 30K tweets and hanging out with my 2600 best friends on Facebook, but […]

What Sort of Music – Just Sing a Song

Sesame Street Sing

Have you ever played in a band? Tell us all about that experience of making music with friends. If you’ve never been in a band, imagine you’re forming a band with some good friends. What instrument do you play in the band and why? What sort of music will you play? Fun question. I was […]

Eric Himan Tells Arizona He’s “Not Going Anywhere Tonight”

Eric Himan song about Arizona

I couldn’t take it. I had to write this song and put it out there.” I urge everyone to take it seriously. Bills like this could easily find its way across our country. Let’s stop it now and continue our fight for our freedom to live as ordinary citizens with equal rights under the law. […]

I turned 12 and then 13 and then 16 and now I’m 43

12 ball

You’re 12 years old. It’s your birthday. Write for ten minutes on that memory. GO. I hate these questions because most of the time – I don’t remember. Like many survivors of neglect and trauma, I don’t remember. Or I do remember, but much in the way I recall the storyline from a book or […]

If I Grew Up In Allentown. With a Fast Car.

Today’s blogging prompt asked me to explain the socioeconomic class structure in the neighborhood where I grew up. That would be West Mifflin, PA. I have six attempts in my drafts folder. All devolved from thoughtful class analysis of a working class suburb into various rants. Clearly, I have some unresolved issues with my hometown. […]

Dicey and Paprika Return to Club Cafe: Exclusive Interview

Ledcat Paprika

I’ve interviewed some pretty amazing performers over the years – Jill Sobule, Mary Gauthier,  …I’m even in the midst of an interview with Rick Springfield. But when the chance came for me to nab an exclusive with Dicey Stewart and Paprika LaRue, I dropped everything, let out a primal scream and immediately broke out some […]

The Tender Things That We Were Working On

Don’t You Forget About Me Imagine yourself at the end of your life. What sort of legacy will you leave? Describe the lasting effect you want to have on the world, after you’re gone. My biggest contribution to the world after I’m gone is the fact that I am planning on a Green Burial in […]

How The Lesbians Celebrated Valentine’s Day

lesbian valentine

First, we decided no gifts. Of course, Laura bought me cookies and I sent her a singing Teleglam from Renaissance City Choirs. So much for no presents. We decided to head to Sesame Inn in the North Hills. We walked in to this: Turns out, this was the takeout line. I amused myself with selfies […]

General Hospital Explores How Someone Learns Homophobia

I think my dream job would be to write about the soaps. I’d have to get cable. I might also like to write for the soaps. Last week on GH, Lucas Jones revealed that he’s gay to long-presumed-dead bio father and mobster, Julian Jerome. It was a pretty intense series of scenes – Julian reeled […]