About

I grew up in the tall pines of Central Arkansas, outside Little Rock on the edge of a train station town called Mabelvale. My younger sister Jes and I came up shooting hoops, roller skating, and playing piano. There was some tae-kwon-do, a little bit of dance.

Our tiny house was surrounded by dense woods. When we were little sometimes we’d disappear into the trees and get lost. All the pines look the same as you get out deep enough. Somehow though we never wandered off too far to be home by dark.

I don’t know when the winds of change kicked up in me, when I knew at last I was going to have to leave home and trudge my way up nameless mountains for nameless prizes, outrun hurricanes, survive hold ups in back alleys of unfamiliar cities and fall in love a dozen times. I just knew.

The streets called to me. And so did the woods. They still do. I drove in circles trying to find this place. Big ones. Five continents. I’m from two cities now. That one and this one. Took a lot of miles to realize I’m still a small town boy with big city dreams, and I’ll never forget where I come from.

–Writing From Sunny Dallas Texas