Works in Progress
Here’s a list of my current and forthcoming works in progress and where you can find out more information about each of them.
Current Projects:
Fiction
Refusal to Obey will be my debut novel. The historical fiction follows Quinton Stoddard as he meets the real-life figure, teen abolitionist, Jayhawk, and eventual US Army Captain and whistle blower, Silas Soule.
As young men, Quinton and Silas are drawn into conflict in Bleeding Kansas, and later, as soldiers, find themselves out West, fighting in both the American Civil War and so-called Indian War, where the roles in the Sand Creek Massacre will change their lives, and relationship, forever.
With characters, real and imagined, like Kit Carson, Ned Wynkoop, John Chivington, Chiefs Black Kettle and White Antelope and Bull Bear, and the Commanche bandit, Three Legs, the pair embark on an epic journey of exploration and personal growth. Of triumph and tragedy. Of hardship and camaraderie and participation in two most awesome and violently terrible events in history, the American Civil War and the birth of the American West.
Poetry & Poetry Translation
Poetry & Poetry Translation isn’t a single work, but a collection of works. It began as a workshop project for my recent residency at Vermont College of Fine Arts but has become a real source of joy—a challenge which pays dividends with every translation and every new, original work.
Now, a chap book is in development, and I look to have more information on that soon.
Academic Projects:
“Archibald MacLeish and The Revision of Promises”
“Archibald MacLeish and The Revision of Promises” is a profile of Archibald MacLeish by way of critical analysis of his poem, “America Was Promises,” which he published and later revised. MacLeish is one of the most decorated American poets, public servants, and statesmen our nation has ever produced, and yet, he’s largely forgotten to us. In this work, I provide historical context to some of MacLeish’s actions and provides unique insight into the poetics of a Warrior Statesman.
As The Sword & Pen is primarily dedicated to fiction, I don’t typically email my academic writings to subscribers, but they are always available for your review, interest, and criticism here.
Forthcoming Projects:
Hot Box
Hot Box is a novella inspired by my own experiences in the Marine Corps and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is being illustrated by one of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Combat Artists, Major Mike Reynolds. Hot Box offers an intimate glimpse into a day-in-the-life of enlisted Marines at war and how different it can be for junior Marines, NCO, and Staff NCOs—and yet, how much it is the same.
An unnamed junior enlisted Marine is a new arrival to camp and faces aspects of war that unnerve the bravest of men. A young NCO discovers that leading the excentric Marines under his charge, while staying out of the cross hairs of his superiors, is more difficult than teaching a bucket of worms to sing the national anthem. And a Staff NCO's letters to his family invite us into the mind, and heart, of a Korean American who is isolated by a severe language barrier and perceived as evil incarnate by his subordinates. But is he?
Readers interested in this story can find interstitials of the larger work here, and everyone is invited and encouraged to subscribe to The Sword & Pen for more bonus material and follow me and Pane Publishing Company’s other social media platforms for updates on the book. All social media links are provided on the contact page, here.