MY PORTFOLIO

AI Detectors: The Most Terrifying Threat to Writers Everywhere

And you thought actual AI writing was the problem…

You might see that headline and think I’m click-baiting you. I swear I’m not — I don’t make a habit of trying to scare people, and I generally don’t think framing anything as terrifying is beneficial. But there’s something a lot of writers might not know about, or at the very least something I didn’t know about, that could have truly terrifying implications for writers everywhere.

What You Need to Know Before Getting Your First Tattoo (Certified Tattoo Studios)

Your first tattoo can be nerve-wracking, but we’re here to help you come out on the other side victorious.

You’ve finally decided to get your first tattoo. You’ve saved countless pictures on Pinterest to serve as your inspiration, debated where on your skin you’d like to get your tattoo, and maybe even tested out a temporary tattoo to see how you like having art permanently affixed to your skin. It’s decided—you’re doing it—and while you’re undoubtedly excited to get that first tattoo, you’re also a bit nervous and unsure about the process. Don’t worry, it’s totally normal to be a little apprehensive before getting your first tattoo. We’re here to help you along the way as you embark into the world of tattooing. You have questions, and we have answers. We’ve got you covered.

5 Things to Keep in Mind on The Journey to Finding Friends as an Adult

Why is it so hard to find (and keep) friends?

I’ve always had a bit of a hard time making friends. When I was in elementary school, it seemed easy. I had friends in church, at school, and around the block. If there was a kid outside rollerblading down the sidewalk or catapulting down the street on a scooter, soon enough, I’d have a new friend.

Chemicals to Avoid in Household Cleaning Products

If you’re still cleaning with non-organic products, these are some ingredients to avoid.

Cleaning your home can be a big task! There are so many nooks and crannies where dirt, dust, and grime can collect in your home, as well as a variety of cleaning products on the market to help you keep every area of your home spotless. With so many cleaning products at the grocery store, it can be hard to choose what is the right pick for your household, especially when it comes to a product’s neverending ingredients list on the back of the bottle. At Organic Maids, we use products that won’t put your family’s health at risk, but the hard truth of the matter is that not all cleaning products are safe, effective, and healthy for you and your family. Here are some ingredients to avoid when you’re purchasing cleaning products for your home:

My Experience Receiving a Revise and Resubmit from a Big 5 Publisher

The things I learned from the process, as well as from making the edits.

While I was away from Medium, I was still frantically writing like my life depended on getting words on the page. It’s virtually impossible for me to go a day without writing. I’d even venture to say that it’s impossible for me to go an hour without writing — at least most days.

The Key to Successful Journaling Is Not Following Any Rules

I finally started using the plethora of journals I’d gathered over the years when I let myself write whatever I want.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen my fair share of articles about journaling on Medium and elsewhere over the years. It seems that most articles about journaling argue for structure — there are multitudes of articles out there about bullet journaling and hundreds of journaling prompts that will help you write for thirty minutes every single day.

What Does Your Favorite Ice Cream Flavor Say About You?

Your favorite flavor can actually relate to your personality!

When it comes to ice cream, there are likely more flavors out there than you can imagine! Ice cream flavors vary greatly from wacky varieties like Thanksgiving Dinner (yes, you read that right—complete with tomatoes, potatoes, and green beans) to tamer crowd-pleasers like tried and true vanilla. There’s truly a flavor for everyone under the sun, and often, even if you can’t find a specific flavor you’re craving, you can find someone to try making it or make it yourself. At Besties Ice Cream alone we house over 150 flavors to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth!

How to Keep Your Friendships Intact When Starting a Business

Microsoft, Apple, and Google were all founded by friends so it can be done, but there’s a right way to do it

In 2017, my college friends and I were set to graduate and go our separate ways. The end of our last school year loomed (well, at least for those of us who chose not to tackle graduate school at the time). We were all hanging on for dear life to the last few meetings of the Writer’s Guild, a writing club we had all started together on campus. These club meetings would be the last couple of times we were able to solely focus on creativity and bouncing ideas off of one another.

How to Survive as an Introvert in an Extroverted World

We’ve all heard the terms “introvert” and “extrovert” and we know what they mean. Most of us even know which category we fall under. Some of us are a mixture of both – an ambivert. Some of us excel under our given personality type, and some of us struggle everyday with trying to make our innate tendencies work for us. The world needs introverts and extroverts alike to function, yet the world seems to be built for the extroverts of the world. With group projects at school, team organization at work, and socialization built around large groups and constant human interaction, it can be hard fitting in as an introvert.

Five Years of the Community Economic Defense Project (CEDP)

Recognizing five years of confronting economic abuse and investing in community wealth.

Five years ago, the economy had completely shut down, and nearly half of Americans were out of a job. As eviction defense attorneys, CEDP’s co-founders knew that meant that folks would struggle to pay their rent. Under Colorado law at the time, if people failed to pay their rent within ten days of it being due, they could be legally evicted. In other words, they could be thrown out of their homes at a time when the public health guidance was “safer at home.”

CEDP’s 2024 Highlights (CEDP)

We Served Over 30,000 Coloradans This Year, Helped Pass Eight Priority Bills, Received Funding for Our Just Bus, Saw Many Big Colorado Supreme Court Wins, and more!

2024 was a big year here at CEDP! Looking back at the year, we accomplished so much in our fight to build economic and racial equity. Here are just some of the highlights from this year if you’re short on time:

CEDP May Newsletter & Legislative Recap (CEDP)

As the 2024 Colorado legislative session comes to a close, we want to share some of the legislative wins that will directly impact our clients and our work moving forward.

This year, the state legislature passed a series of bills that take important steps to better protect tenants and homeowners — CEDP led and supported over a dozen bills this session, and all eight of our priority bills passed both chambers of the general assembly and have either already been signed into law or we anticipate will be signed by the governor in the coming weeks.

May Snapshot (Children’s Tuition Fund)

The end of another school year is on the horizon.  This year may have brought many challenges, but it also allowed us to grow and provided many blessings.  We continue to pray for you, your staff, and your families.

Among the many blessings, is an increase in school-choice legislation.  There are many states with new school-choice legislation making its way through the branches of the government.  We are excited about the prospects of growing into more states and helping our schools change the lives of more students.

Life is About Nurturing Our Gardens (Noteworthy)

We all have them, whether we live in an eighth-floor walk-up or out in the countryside.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about gardens. I suppose it could be the time of year—it is gardening season, after all (the snow has been replaced by rain here in Colorado). Or maybe it’s because I’ve had the pleasure of viewing pictures of my friends’ backyard gardens, admired the fruits of my coworkers’ labors posted on Slack, or seen the beautiful flowers every time I go for a walk for the past month (see pictures of the beautiful blooms everywhere below).

Writing is Still Worth Doing, Even if No One Buys Books (Noteworthy)

Writing is more than a business, even if publishing executives might make you believe otherwise.

There’s been a lot of noise online this week about a post from fellow Substacker Elle Griffin, “No one buys books.” I’ve followed Elle’s newsletter, The Elysian, for quite a while, and this is the first time I’ve seen her work shared far and wide in many of my circles—artists all over the internet are concerned about some of the things included in the post. And rightly so.

Precious Coral

A color from the sea, and a color that’s always stuck with me…

I realized today why I like the color coral so much.

When I was younger, one of our family friends was named Coral. A daughter, like me. A youngest child, like my brother. Now she has a different last name.

But that’s not it.

I’ll Just Burn Brighter

Sometimes a song (or two) is all we have

When I got the call, I was standing on the school shuttle, hand tied up in the strap overhead to keep myself from catapulting into the student in front of me. My backpack was light that day, I had only one afternoon class — a collaborative poetry experiment — and was puttering to campus early to meet up with some writer friends. After arriving and lugging my belongings to the third floor of the University Center, I pulled out my phone. One missed call. I frantically unlocked the thing, examining the unsaved number that had tried to reach me moments ago. It was a “389” number — wasn’t that the same as the number that had called me to set up the interview?

On a Bleak, Snowy Day in April

Published in The POM

I’m not the only one.

Published in The POM

Waning Gibbous

Published in The POM

The Ride Home

Published in Write Like a Girl

Both Everything and Nothing

Published in Across the Social Distances

Rejection and Factorial

Published in The Scarlet Leaf Review

Breaking News

Published in Colorado’s Best Emerging Poets 2019: An Anthology (print only)

Conclusion

Published in Vita Brevis

Change

Published in Black Dog Review

1873

Published in riverrun (print only)

Truth

Published in Furtive Dalliance (print only)

Or Every Man Be Blind

For You, I’d Undo the Moon: Life and Love in Melissa Crowe’s ‘Dear Terror, Dear Splendor’

If life is a river, then Melissa Crowe’s Dear Terror, Dear Splendor (University of Wisconsin Press) is the boat crashing along through every torrent and floating atop the calm shallows. Crowe’s poetry collection, which starts with a splash of a poem titled “The River,” is truly a rumination on life itself and the terrifyingly splendid ways love ushers each of us along for the ride.

The Forest on Fire: A Review of Brandon Amico’s ‘Disappearing, Inc.’

“They started painting the smokestacks green / so now everything is fine, it only looks like the forest / is on fire.” This image, from the ironically named poem “E Pluribus Unum” in Brandon Amico’s Disappearing, Inc. (Gold Wake Press), sums up much of what Amico is extracting from society’s subconscious in one concise, yet immensely complicated, sentence. Disappearing, Inc. is a collection that tries to provide a sense of camaraderie to everyone who has ever felt lost in the day to day humdrum of life. In doing this, Amico attempts to answer a slew of questions: how do art and work intertwine? Does a person’s career reflect who they are? How does technology impact the lives of those around us? More frighteningly, how does technology affect each of us? While not providing a simple answer (an impossible feat for even the most apt writer), these poems take a conversational approach to some of life’s most confusing topics, all the while weaving lithe imagery through pieces that have a stream of consciousness flair.