I'm a full-time teacher (math, science, and PE) and father of four, and the author of Soft Words, Hard Truths — a collection of aphoristic poems about the patterns we repeat, the excuses we perfect, and the costs we defer until they arrive without wa...

I'm a full-time teacher (math, science, and PE) and father of four, and the author of Soft Words, Hard Truths — a collection of aphoristic poems about the patterns we repeat, the excuses we perfect, and the costs we defer until they arrive without warning. Each poem ends with a single line meant to save the reader years of hard-won lessons: "Discipline is a cost; regret is a debt." "Not choosing is a choice." I write in short, intense bursts rather than on a steady schedule — the whole book came together in under two months once I finally sat down to finish it. I founded Odd Angle Press to publish my own work, including a companion journal series and a family-saga novel series in progress. I'm happy to talk about self-discipline, self-deception, why routine can quietly outlive its purpose, or what it's like writing a book fast, alone, with no editor, while teaching full-time.