Today, the academic year draws to a close and with it, a chapter of my career. In 2011, when my attempt to become a full-time freelance writer proved challenging, it was time for another chapter. Throughout my editorial career, people said I had a good way with talent and employees and that I should consider […]
All told, 2025 was a pretty good year. Not the best, far from the worst. It was the usual hectic mix of activities and travel, work and writing, and family and friends. Of the latter, the loss of my dear friend Peter David loomed large all year. We got a heads-up just days before he […]
It’s been a hectic week as things wind up and head toward Winter Break. First, MICA concluded its fall semester on Wednesday, and my students gave final presentations on what worked and what didn’t in their 30-page stories. They also received a final round of peer feedback, and most everyone was quite generous with their […]
I was afraid of this. Once I broke the habit of posting more or less weekly, things would snowball. However, with the Baltimore Comic-Con and my two school jobs, it’s been busy, and having a wicked cold didn’t help at all. So, the con. As usual, I caught up with the regulars who make it […]
Four weeks into the new academic year, and we’re already in a groove despite a plethora of special schedules for events and masses. I’ve gotten into a nice rhythm with the freshmen, who are proving to be a delight, each in their own energetic ways. The sophomores continue to vex me with their casual attitude […]
With the best of intentions, I swear at the beginning of each school year, I will find time to read and to write. While I can’t do anything significant, I can do little bits and pieces. And then reality settles in, and I can barely read the paper or do any writing. The original novel […]
The first week of school is always exciting. A fresh start for students and faculty alike, a realm of possibilities presents itself from the opening bell. This year was no different. I have a packed schedule, six classes instead of the usual five and my two freshmen honors classes took a little while to warm […]
It used to be that summer colds happened, and you didn’t think twice about. These days, even the sniffles are suspect. So, when I began feeling congested and coughed a bit last Saturday, I didn’t think much of it. On Sunday, though, I realized that after traveling, and with a week of sitting in close […]
2024 was packed and, therefore, exhausting. That sums it up, so you can stop here if you’re not interested. For whatever reason, circumstances conspired to make this a very busy year, gaining momentum by the month and then the week. It all ground to a halt on Christmas Day, and we welcomed a day to […]
Teachers reported back on August 20, and it was as if we hadn’t been apart for ten weeks. The newcomers were warmly welcomed, and we spent the off-site session focusing a lot on our students’ mental state. We hadn’t discussed this previously, and it was welcome, unintentionally echoed by the priest during the mass that […]
My friend Howard Weinstein has been asking me to write something original, and my free time has dwindled once I added teaching at MICA to my schedule. So, as I wrapped up work on Above the Ground 3 (coming in 2026, if not sooner) last summer, I swore to everyone within earshot that I was […]
When I accepted the MICA teaching assignment, the deal with Deb would be that I wouldn’t do any freelance writing. So, I’ve slowed pursuing opportunities and deferred others to when school was not in session. The Winter break saw me research and write some 20,000 words for the forthcoming Superman: The Definitive History as I […]
With the arrival of May comes the conclusion of my second semester at MICA. Boy, did that rush by. It’s fascinating to witness the collective journey of our cohort. They start off slowly, gradually building momentum, and by Spring Break, find themselves complaining of exhaustion. They then gear back up, sometimes falling short of our […]
We managed to hit the end of the third quarter on Thursday, and suddenly, it feels as if the 2023-24 is flying by. Normally, the third quarter feels like a slog, but not this year. I love that the administration gives us the day after each quarter for grading, so this was a welcome three-day […]
I am a child of the Silver Age. My touchstones and reference points are the DC and Marvel Comics of the era and the myriad of smaller publishers who populated the Bronze Age. When I lectured this past week on writing dialogue, all my visuals came from those eras, which was fresh to the students. […]
Adding Making Graphic Novels at MICA definitely made for some tiring weeks, but I was genuinely energized as I worked with the students on their 30-page stories. Only two flamed out, which is not a surprise. But, those who finished the work delivered some strong stories or chapters in their larger works. We were blessed […]
My 2023 New Year’s Resolution was to write at least one blog a week, and I failed at that miserably with just 30 out of the hoped-for-52. Looking back, 2023 wasn’t a bad year. There were certainly highlights and, thankfully, a few low points. So, I guess you could call it a good one. Turning […]
I had no idea what to expect when I stepped into room 413 of the Fox Building. I knew I told my students we’d start at 5 but as I hurried in at 4:40, the room was already full of expectant people. They knew me only by what they read and Jose Villarubia’s sterling recommendation, […]
Two firsts this week, and it makes me very thankful we followed four days of classes with a four-day weekend. After four days to prep, the 2023-24 academic year began on Monday. I find it interesting that more than a few veterans found themselves nervous as we arrived. We’d already had freshmen orientation the previous […]
I’ve casually known creator Jose Villarrubia for decades, and back in March, I saw on Instagram that he lived in Baltimore, a fact that I had missed. When I said something about being in the same area, a series of dominoes began tumbling, resulting in a brand-new opportunity. The following day he reached out to […]