I write, and I teach. I'm a perpetual student & nerd. I like being around people who laugh, drink, and think. I'm curious, sometimes optimistic, and a "loud laugher."

My family is very important to me, and the whole of them live one town over. Routinely, I'm out there for dinner (my mom taught me to cook, among other things) and for TV marathons. (Currently, The Good Wife and Game of Thrones are reserved for watching with family.) My friends come a close second, and though my friends would never be displaced for anything, I always have room for more. Many of my friends are active in the Memphis community, and I love that. Memphis has a great deal to offer if you look for it--more culture and fun and uniqueness than people give it credit.

I'm all about balance. Science and art, work and leisure, social and private time, sincerity and irony, brain and body, etc. Aristotle's virtues all the way.

I'm what I like to call "indoorsy."

I recently finished my first novel, which was also the thesis of my Master's Degree in Fine Arts. A major focus for me right now is trying to start a writing career--editing, sending out manuscripts, entering contests and trying to get published. It's a long, slow process a head of me, I know, but I also know that I'm young and patient enough to persevere.

I'm also trying to remember what some of my hobbies were before graduate school and get them back. Once upon a time I was interested in making things out of other things, video games, (On average, I'm about 3-4 years behind on my gaming. I still haven't beaten the first Mass Effect.) dance, and photography (all in very amateurish ways). I'm hoping to reintroduce myself to all these things and more now that I have a second diploma hung neatly by the first.

I teach writing and literature at a learning center in East Memphis & occasionally the University of Memphis. I like it more than I ever thought I would. I never resent an hour spent at it because I can see the results of my actions--even if they aren't as much I hoped they'd be. It also affords me the time I need to write and explore other possibilities.

I have my shit together, but just barely.

vegetable fried rice, hot and sour soup, and pork wontons. (Prize-winning, literally.) I make a damn awesome Manhattan and can analyze the hell out of some German and Russian literature. I can even do them both at the same time.

I like to think I teach well and write well, but my goal is to do it better each day.

My laugh, I guess. It's kind of a bark, and carries in a crowded room. But when I laugh out loud, I mean it.

It is not uncommon that someone finds me in a crowded bar (like the PnH, for example) and says "I knew you were here somewhere, I heard you laugh a few minutes ago."

I try to experience a wide range of all life's pleasures, both simple and complex.

It's too hard to give anything resembling a comprehensive list in any one category, and some of my real favorites I should probably not post here because I don't necessarily want them to "represent me" or whatever. I'd like to be in a world where we're judged on what we're like, not what we like.

To give some indication though, I'd say I love Asian food, Tarentino movies (not all of them), Star Wars (not all of them) and movies that challenge form and story telling, and a wide range of books--everything from King and pulpy mystery novels to Vonnegut, Adams, Atwood, etc.

I watch too much TV, even though I don't actually have cable. Netflix is both the best and worst thing to happen to me--I love finding wonderful, horrible, never-before-heard-of TV series, but I find the occasional day is eaten by the new season of some weird British Sci-fi or hilariously illogical history channel series. I have a particular weakness for police procedurals, campy sci-fi shows, and sexy sexy Alexander Skarsgard.

As for music, I like a wide range of music, but of the categories listed, it's definitely the one I know the least about. I just don't keep up with new bands & albums the way I do new shows, books, movies, and restaurants. I grew up with musicians, so I know a good bit about music in terms of theory and performance. I have strong feelings about Tool and The Beatles, and lesser feelings about other bands. I will listen to anything anyone wants to share with me, but I don't necessarily want to be "educated" on a long list of hipster bands. Share, don't impose.

A good kitchen to cook in,
a good book to read or listen to,
good friends to be around and to laugh with,
my family,
and a computer.
(I know, that's five.)

the "work," which is my catch-all euphemism for writing and everything that goes with it. On the back of almost every human interaction I have, I am considering what I've learned and can put into the work. It definitely informs the way I think about things; I think for the better.

What most people are doing, I guess. Out with friends, usually drinking. I like places where there is a lot of people watching and where people can hear each other talk.

I also love the midtown festivals, art shows, burlesque, roller derby, and other performances and displays of awesome quirk that can be found around this weird little village. I'd love to have a regular companion for these kinds of things.

I'm not a natural red-head.

Firstly, you should say more than "Hey message me back" or "I'd like to get to know you."

But otherwise, you should message me if you are a balanced, curious, and intelligent person. You should have your shit mostly together, but not be so together that you're done trying to be better at life. You should be someone with more than one aspect to their lives and personalities, so workaholics and bums can move on. You should be comfortable in a wide range of crowds & situations, be honest, and appreciate geeky humor.

You should NOT message me if:
There is no punctuation in your profile. I'm a writer; you must know that would bug the shit out of me.
Under music, you listed six different types of "house."
You can't legally buy a beer, or you can legally run for president.
It's been over 6 months since you read a book.

Also, in the past year I've been to four weddings, two of which were unions between two men. My closest friend is a gay man, and if someone is in my life, so are homosexuals. If you are bothered by the company of people with different sexuality than your own, or you wouldn't support the right to marry, please don't bother.