I started my career with dreams of getting a tenure-track job. Unfortunately, the job market had other plans, and I found myself having to take a different tack. The Chronicle of Higher Education published the story of my journey from the ivory tower to the land of post-academia.

Part 1: Waiting for the ‘Big One’

Part 2: Talking Jobs

Part 3: Going Over the Falls

Part 4: Loss and Opportunity

Part 5: The Search is Over

Remember Day to Day, NPR’s mid-morning news and culture show? I loved that show, so much so that I pitched them on writing music and film reviews for them. They said, “Sure, sounds good,” and I was excited. Here are some of the pieces I got to write for them. I also did film reviews for Marketplace, which is still cooking. Some of those are here too.

Day to Day

Review of slowcore pioneers Low

Review of the 101ers, also know as Joe Strummer’s first band

Review of Sonic Youth B-sides

Review of the hip-hop doc Rock the Bells

Review of Stereo Total and other Euro-popsters.

Review of Calvin Johnson and some of his Pacific Northwest compatriots

Marketplace

Review of There Will Be Blood

Review of Fast Food Nation

Review of Fired

PUNK PLANET was a pretty cool music and culture zine out of Chicago. I wrote book reviews and music interviews for them. Here are some of them:

Interview with Deerhoof

Interview with Evolution Control Committee

Review of Mapping the Beat

Interview with Operation Re-information

Interview with Old Time Relijun

Review of Tariq Ali’s The Clash of Fundamentalisms

Interview with Frank Kozik

This is the GRAB BAG section. Here you’ll find op-eds, reviews, and other interventions in the public discourse.

Autolux is one of my favorite bands. Thanks to the New Republic On-line, I got to review their wonderful album, Future Perfect.

The conservative attack on US campuses for what they perceive to be a lack of intellectual diversity has been going on for a long time. I took them to task for it in this op-ed.

Sarah Chayes wrote one of the smartest books on the US intervention in Afghanistan. It is also very wise about trying to build a democratic civil society. This is my review of The Punishment of Virtue.

War Reporting for Cowards and Ahmad’s War, Ahmad’s Peace are two very different books about the Iraq War. Different writing styles. Different authorial goals. Different subjects. But as my review argued, both very insightful.

The debate about providing undocumented migrants drivers licenses was once very hot. This op-ed was my contribution to better understanding the issue.