New and forthcoming work: Sci-Fi, skepticism, and a ridiculous man
It’s been a productive season, and I have a few new and forthcoming pieces I’m excited to share. My first published short story, “Les Guérisseurs,” is in the...
Why “liminal notes”? Yes, it sounds a bit pretentious. In my defense, I spend too much time on the r/LiminalSpace subreddit, and the name stuck. It’s meant to be about the spaces between ideas in sociology and the craft of writing, but it’s mainly just a portfolio for that work. Here you’ll find my academic articles, public essays, and the occasional blog post on why you should never use a semicolon.
Photo by Hans Eiskonen on Unsplash
recent public writing
The Humanist Response to Authoritarianism Free Inquiry, Volume 45, No. 5 (August/September 2025)
That moment when freedom begins to wither rarely announces itself with dramatic proclamations. Instead, authoritarianism advances through incremental concessions, each seemingly inconsequential surrender barely perceptible until collectively they form the architecture of tyranny…
Sacred or Secular? Rethinking Indigenous Spirituality Free Inquiry, Volume 45, No. 3 (April/May 2025)
If you walk into a North American university, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter the smoke of burning sage or other ceremonial plants such as sweet grass. Similar aromatic scenes are unfolding in government offices, healthcare facilities, and public spaces…
Recent Posts
Why the semicolon is stupid
I rarely take a stand on anything prescriptive in academic or professional communications. Even working with clients, I ask more questions than I provide ans...
The funny business with paragraphs
At a conference recently, the keynote speaker, a big name in academic writing, questioned why anyone focuses so much on the paragraph. To steel-man his argum...