The Story Economy Blog

I spent several hours last week searching for people who served with my dad in the 1950s. He was drafted in 1952, served in the 4th Infantry as part of the United States Army Europe (USAREUR), and was stationed in Germany until 1954. He took hundreds…

Only in the water for 30 seconds at the Paddling Center at Shingle Creek, I was already feeling the familiar anxiety associated with not understanding how to do something. I was on a guided stand-up paddleboard (SUP) tour through a picturesque…

Last spring, after my literary agent and I sent my honesty book proposal out, we had several phone meetings with acquisitions editors representing interested publishing imprints. I typed out lots of notes and memorized some answers to questions I thought…

I guess we’re having some kind of polar apocalypse in the Midwest. Here in Cincinnati, my kids are home from school today and I’ve heard that the entirety of Illinois and Minnesota is shut down. I might even skip running outside today. I joke, but…

I’m used to waiting a long time for pieces I write to see the light of day. I’ve become an expert at slyly stalking editors I’m waiting on and obsessively hitting “refresh” on the day a big piece of mine is slated to go live. Most freelance…