Let's consider this a launch
Some time ago, a dear friend to me and Roadside Magazine named Joe Manning listened to me blather on about how I didn’t think of myself as a writer. Yes, I published a magazine and wrote most of the articles, but at heart, I thought of myself more as a designer.
Joe stopped me. “But you are a writer! Don’t you see that?”
Lesseee… twenty years of Roadside, two books published, a few blogs, several articles in other publications and websites, and I’ve been journaling since I was 14. Joe’s probably right.
But no one had ever said that to me before. Joe passed away in 2021, so in his honor, I think it’s time to double down on that.
I have some ideas for this effort, and they all preclude any overt expressions of political opinion. While publishing Roadside I took great pride in the fact that no one could accurately discern my personal politics. Consequently, it attracted people on all sides of the spectrum and every rung on the social ladder. Roadside was a common ground. I’d like to continue that tradition here. I think it’s time.
What I hope my readers did discern was my appreciation for the people who work in the trenches making their communities better, whether they owned a diner or ran a local downtown organization looking to restore life to its dusty streets.
This isn’t the rebirth of Roadside, but among the topics I plan to cover, I do want to continue that exploration. I think sitting at the counters of local diners and brew pubs talking to their patrons has given me a perspective I still haven’t found anywhere else. As we learn more about the paths that people walked to reach their destinations, we arrive at a better understanding of who we are as a nation.
I can only do so much of that as a single individual. Contributions would help this effort of course. If you like my writing and want to see more of it, please keep that in mind.
And please, if you do like what you read, spread the word.
I look forward to seeing what you do.