About Me
I’m the editor-in-chief at Baylor Line. In addition to leading the oldest alumni publication in the Baylor Family, I also write about my obsessions.
I’m a two-time graduate of Baylor University (both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism) and have worked with some of the biggest names in media from CBS and Huffington Post to leading journalists and best-selling authors. My work has been referenced in both academic journals and popular outlets — like BuzzFeed News.
I love to tell important stories. I’ve published work on how the student paper covered Baylor’s desegregation, what it meant to protest the Vietnam War in the Baptist world, and how road construction can destroy a historic, culture-rich community of color. My favorite story so far, though, has been Kaye Callaway’s tragic fall, traumatic injury, and transformational recovery.
Years ago, when I was a punk student journalist, I wrote a few cool things that I’m still incredible proud to have published. Like the time I made Ken Starr cry. Or when I covered the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014 after the needless murder of Michael Brown and the movements that expanded across the globe. Or even when I fangirled a little too hard about T-Swift’s 1989. (To be fair, I also wrote some things make me chuckle at how pretentious I was. Like when I gave the middle-finger to Baylor’s student court. *eye-roll emoji* What a schmuck.)
This site is dedicated to continuing to publish ideas. Some I’ll be proud of years later and other… *eye-roll emoji*. You can find all my posts here. If you want to keep up with each essay, you can subscribe here.
My Bio
For the very few who might be interested, here’s a superfluously detailed biography.
I grew up outside of Kilgore, Texas, and knew I wanted to be a writer for as far back as I can remember. (When I read Goblet of Fire in 4th grade, I disliked it so much that I stacked reams of notebook paper into a binder and re-wrote the entire story the way I thought it should be. Did I mention I’ve also been a little punk as long as I can remember, too?)
I graduated Baylor University with a bachelor’s in journalism in 2016 and completed my master’s in journalism at Baylor in 2019. During my undergraduate years, I worked with every student media outlet on campus, serving as a reporter, news editor, and web editor for the Baylor Lariat. In my graduate work, I focused on studying the intersection of social movements and media, from elections to civil rights and from war propaganda to internet disinformation campaigns. My thesis, Baylor In Black & White, was the first comprehensive work on how a student media outlet covered (and caused, I argued) the desegregation of a university’s campus.
During this time, I also began working as a freelancer, consultant, and stringer for many different media companies, including CBS and Huffington Post, and as a consulting writer for a few bestselling authors. I also picked up a gig contributing to Baylor Line, an alumni magazine for the Baylor Family. In December 2019, I took over as interim editor-in-chief of Baylor Line. Luckily, before COVID hit, that turned into a full-time gig and I’ve been working there ever since with amazing writers, photographers, and subjects on editorial projects and interviewing awesome guests for our flagship podcast.
I’ve been blogging on-and-off since 2009. Luckily, most of it is lost to the universe. When I decided to dust off the ol site, it was because I found myself searching for a way to document and share my latest obsessions.
I don’t really have social media. Every now and then I update this “Now” page, but the best way to keep up with my is by checking out my main ideas feed or by subscribing via email.
I currently live with my wife, Rachel Cooper, in Clifton, Texas. She does the Lord’s work as a sexual health educator while I write my stories. Off the clock, we watch Grace & Frankie and drink wine by the fire.