One of my favorite things about writing is the chance to have a unique experience and share that with other people in a story, so I was delighted to step aboard Goth Barge and write it up for Milwaukee Record. They got a good thing going on with this cruise.

Back in high school and into my early 20s I identified as a punk rocker. I had a mohawk and usually sported an Operation Ivy or Dead Kennedys T-shirt. But I was fortunate in that the circles I hung out in featured a variety of subcultures, including oh, you know, the Goths, the Vandals, the Huns, the Saxons…all the enemies of the Roman Empire.

I loved quite a few goth classics, my favorites being Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, Joy Division (I dropped those in the article), Bauhaus, New Order, and The Damned. I also really liked a lot of 80s/90s industrial like Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. It’s a mood, as the kids today say. Anyway, I’m glad to see that the article appears to have gotten a good reception from goth and not-so-goth readers alike.

You can check it out it here: “I’m on a goth boat: All aboard Milwaukee’s Goth Barge.”

More recent writings:

– I wrote an article for Milwaukee Magazine‘s website on local writer and game designer Jex Thomas, creator of Bump in the Night. I had a chance to sit down and play a session and had a great time. They created a crowdsource campaign to raise funds for a new edition and I’m glad to see it’s going really well. Read more and find the link here: “‘Bump in the Dark’ Is a New Tabletop Game by a Local Designer“

-As I said on Facebook, this story is like a weird dream: I dreamed that I found an unmarked secret building built into a railroad bridge and discovered a model railroad club that’s been in there for 8 decades. Well, it’s reality: “Milwaukee Model Railroad Club Is Hidden in Plain Sight” (a print version appeared in the May issue of Milwaukee Magazine).

–QWERTY Quarterly #5: have you heard the good word about QWERTYFEST? It’s happening soon– June 21-23. I’m co-editor of QWERTY Quarterly, official publication of QF. I wrote bits and pieces of the new issue, along with many other talented creators. This issue has a lot of material that ties into QF– a full schedule, articles on (or by) participants, there’s also poetry, fiction, a word scramble, a new comic strip and more! You can buy a QQ subscription (and we’ll have individual copies of QQ#5 listed soon) here: https://www.qwertyfest.com/qwerty-quarterly.html
And check out the full QF schedule (and ticket links) here: https://www.qwertyfest.com/qwertyfest-2024-schedule.html

-“Madcap Milwaukee Calendar” is a column I write for the Shepherd Express every two weeks. I find about five unique/unusual/ nerdy events around town to spotlight, so if you’re looking for something interesting, check it out. You can find the latest column here: https://shepherdexpress.com/culture/madcap-milwaukee-calendar