“Champagne for my real friends; real pain for my sham friends” 

          — Andy Warhol 

Dear Cherished Few Readers, 

Welcome to my new website, where I will detail my sporadic literary accomplishments and infrequent wanderings. So far, 2014 has been a big year for me, writer-wise and human-being-wise. I saw my first major (or at least what I think of as major) fiction publication, in Grain Magazine, followed by publications in the inaugral issue of the supercool new Halifax-based lit mag The Impressment Gang and the latest issue of The Dalhousie Review. The latter two were extra special for me because they mark a homecoming of sorts: I grew up in Halifax and can’t wait to get back there, and I did my undergraduate work in the English Department at Dalhousie. Then again, my father grew up in Saskatchewan, so I guess the piece in Grain was a kind of triumphant return as well. While I suspect there might be some provincial nepotism in all of this, I remain deeply thankful to all the editors and staff members who showed faith in my work and helped get it into print this year. 2014 also marked my first voyage to South America, where I spent a material-heavy three weeks in Brazil with three of my closest friends from back home, basking in the international shenanigans of FIFA’s monopoly on the world’s most beloved game. Finally, two weeks ago I got the chance to marry the love of my life, Natasha, during a photogenic love-fest on a beautiful day in Toronto. So things have been going pretty well for me lately; I can’t shake the fear that a harrowing spiral of doom stalks my near future. But, for now, it’s high fives all around. My first book, a poetry collection called We Are No Longer The Smart Kids In Class, is due to come out in 2015, so maybe next year will turn out even better, despite the paranoia. Then again, this year’s not even close to being over yet. So if you catch me on Western campus, make sure to throw me a high five.