The Writer's Pen

g up in school, I showed some talent in writing essay questions, or even small story answers, but really never considered myself a writer. Poetry was much more significant as I literally hated the poetry we had to read in high school. The chances of me becoming a poet were an absolute zero in my mind.

That all changed after we bought our first house in the country outside of Groton, S.D., while I still worked in Aberdeen. I was working full time for the railroad and was starting grad school at Northern State, while also coaching the local Little League team. I was also active in our church and...