It’s great to get to talk to you, Ian.

Likewise! I’m glad to be here.

You’re an academic librarian, right?

Yes. It’s a job that gives me the opportunity to learn a ton! I’ve always been an enthusiastic consumer of any kind of information and one of the best things about my work is that students and faculty arrive with questions about things I haven’t had the chance to learn about or think about before. This past semester I had a number of questions from students working on theater history projects, which was a lot of fun!

So, you blog now. Tell me about that.

I like writing and I needed something that would drive me to write a little more frequently. It’s easy, as I’m sure you know, to get distracted by tasks other than writing. The blog makes it easier to set a schedule for myself. Feeding it regularly and giving it posts is a motivator in a way that, say, filling a notebook is not.

Does anyone read your blog?

Not really! But that’s not the point. The point is to just plain put something out there, to let go of it and not either abandon it in a file somewhere or fuss over it so much that I don’t do anything with it at all. It’s hard to share writing! This is one step toward doing more of that sharing without getting too precious about perfection. I’m trying to avoid letting the perfect be the enemy of the good and all that.

Many of your posts are about your reading.

That’s true — I finished my M.A. in English in 2021 and I’ve been on a real reading tear since then. It’s nice to read books that I’ve chosen for myself and I like having a space to share my thoughts about them. I could do that on a social media platform, I know, but a blog is a little more permanent? I don’t love the idea of committing to a closed platform. But I digress! The point is that I like thinking about what I read and I enjoy formalizing those thoughts to a certain extent.

I’m interested in your bringing up platforms. The internet is in such a state of flux at the moment, with older social media platforms fading and AI content taking hold. Do you worry about your blog in that context?

Of course! It feels kind of pointless to write in the face of AI. The futility of it is really painful, if I’m honest. And maybe I’m just helping to train the models that want to replace me and replace the writers I enjoy? I’m not here to make money, though. I’m here to enjoy thinking things through and writing well. That’s what matters to me, even if the AI grist mill means that fewer people will likely care in the long run.

Okay! That was kind of a downer. It’s summer now. What are you up to?

Man, summer in Duluth isn’t really summer until well into July. Today it’s 64 degrees and rainy! Right now I’m just excited that I can go to work without worrying that a coat short of a parka won’t be enough.

Any summer plans?

You know, one of the things I missed most during the peak of the pandemic was being able to experience live music. This summer, my wife and I are planning to see Bon Iver, Brandi Carlile, and Kamelot. We’ve also recently been to see the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, which was a lot of fun! I particularly enjoyed their performance of Jessie Montgomery’s “Banner,” which I hadn’t heard before.

Great! It’s been so nice speaking with you today. Is there anything else you’d like to say before we wrap up?

Thanks for being here! I appreciate your time! I’m really enjoying writing here and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon. Drop me a line if you want to say hello!