Freelance

Writing

Editing

The Smell of Breath, a Novel Conor McMillen

Happy in the Sun, Happy in the Rain Conor McMillen

Conflict = Energy Jason Digges

Hasidic Jew Night at the Roller Rink Keith Ruckus

Castles in Spain Estefanía Lee

The Big Liquor Lie Eric Fry

Writing

CultureMap Austin

Interview: Garth Brooks on his ACL Hall of Fame induction

Fifty years ago, a little television program called Austin City Limits (ACL) was founded by PBS affiliate KLRN-TV (which later became KLRU.) To kick off the celebration of this momentous anniversary, Austin City Limits has invited none other than country music’s bestselling artist — ever — Garth Brooks to town to be inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame.

Critically acclaimed one-woman show from Austin considers hookup culture

Surely folks are tired of “unprecedented times,” but the new gestalt raises some questions about what love and sex now look like. Is unbridled sexual exploration truly liberating? Where is home if you haven’t found it with another person? And is there value in both tradition and exploration? These are the questions posed by Katie Folger’s one-woman play, Getting in Bed with the Pizza Man.

Linklater and cast reunite in Austin 30 years after Dazed and Confused

Just over 30 years ago in September of 1993, a little film called Dazed and Confused premiered to a resounding “meh” at the box office. In theaters, it earned about $8 million total, only scarcely above the film’s $6.9 million budget.

But over time, you’d be hard pressed to meet somebody — especially here in Austin — who has not seen this movie.

Central Texas mineral springs spa unveils 5 new pools, modern look

On June 1, Ottine Mineral Springs in Gonzales will officially re-open to the public, unveiling a massive renovation to the historic site about an hour and 15 minutes from Austin. Until recently, this 40-acre property was home to just two private mineral-fed pools, but now this sprawling land is dotted with five new pools of varying adjustable temperatures, outdoor dining options, saunas, cold plunges, cabanas, fire pits, and much more.

10 reasons a lifelong Austinite is glad Blues on the Green is back again

When I was just five years old, a little concert series called Blues on the Green was getting its footing at the Arboretum Shopping Center in North Austin. This July, the year after we almost lost it for good due to rising costs in the growing city, Blues on the Green announced the lineup for its 34th annual show, and many Austinites like me are reflecting on why we’re glad it’s stuck around.

TRIBEZA

TRIBEZA’s Guide to Marfa

About 150 years ago, a little town was established as nothing more than a railway water stop and freight headquarters out in West Texas. At that time, Marfa was a land of dry streambeds, miles of flat, cracking plains, low mountain ranges and mysterious twinkling lights in the distance.

It still is today.

Kerbey Lane Cafe Celebrates 45 Years in Ever-Changing Austin with Updated Menu

On May 5, 1980, David and Patricia Ayer opened the doors to a new Austin diner called Kerbey Lane Cafe, so named after the oak-lined little street where it sits. The restaurant was born of the desire to serve healthy, affordable, scratch-made food; and in the early days, it even doubled as a home for the Ayer family.

“That’s where we lived for the first six months of my life,” David and Patricia’s son, Mason, says as we sit surrounded by the clinking of dishes and burble of voices in Kerbey Lane Cafe’s South Lamar location.

Local Artist Felipe Gomez Carves a New Path with Steel, Paint and Purpose

Austin-based artist Felipe Gomez has made a name for himself over the past several years with his large-scale, multi-layered wood carvings, bright and bold colors, and a geometric yet natural style. Now, Gomez is moving into new territory with bold metalwork and huge installations.

How Urban Heat’s Jonathan Horstmann Is Using His Voice for Mental Health Awareness

In 2022, Austin’s post-punk band Urban Heat struck a chord with America’s goth underground with a resounding and viral TikTok video that would shape the band’s trajectory for years to come. This sudden thrust into the spotlight might have seemed out of nowhere to those who hadn’t been following along, but Urban Heat had been quietly and diligently working towards this moment for years.

Take a Peek Inside The Herb Bar’s Whimsical New Space

Austin’s beloved herb and apothecary shop finds a bright new home in Cherrywood after decades in Bouldin Creek.

MySA

Austin’s Iconic “House of Blue’s” Antone’s Celebrates 50 Years of Music

Fifty years ago, Austin looked very different than it does today. The skyline was a flatline with a spike here for the UT Tower and a little blip for the Capitol. Highrises were barely a thing at the time, and the city proper snugly fit between 183 and Stassney.

Culturally, we were moving on from the age of hippies in the 60s to something… different. It was nightclubs and discos; it was musicians and artists; and the people running things around here were young, really young. The mayor in 1975 was just 30 years old and the drinking age was 18.

Bouldin Creek Cafe’s journey from shack to 25-year-old Austin icon

Twenty-five years ago, this whimsical and earthy cafe started out as a veritable shack (a cute shack) where Elizabeth Street Cafe sits today. Owner Leslie Martin had inherited some money from her grandmother’s death and she wanted to start up a cafe with a community feel in a rapidly changing Austin.

“This was back during the dot com boom,” says Martin, “And these little local places were going away. So the only way to fix it, really, was to put something back.”

She started the original Boulding with about $18,000 and modeled it after some of her favorite haunts like Mojo’s on The Drag and Les Amis. The indoor space was tiny and the place was mostly outdoor seating. According to Martin, starting out was “hectic as hell.”

How a string of deaths had Austin believing it had a serial killer

This summer will mark three years since the first of a string of bodies turned up in Lady Bird Lake, sparking the rumor of an Austin serial killer.

To be clear, Lady Bird Lake has seen bodies in the water since its earliest days– back when it was called Town Lake, and likely before when it was simply the Colorado River. However, in 2022 this “cluster” of bodies all shared some striking similarities: all males with darker features.

We visited the last remaining indoor mall in Austin

In the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, malls were where young people went to hang out. It’s where they gossiped, caused trouble, flirted, and broke up. Sometimes people even shopped. But mostly, it was about just being at the mall.

The 5 most famous UFO sightings in Texas’ history

On May 1, between 9 and 10 p.m., Texans watched in awe as what appeared to be a UFO traced across the night sky during a heat lightning storm.

“This could be the most paranormal thing I’ve ever seen in Austin,” Nick Hayden said in an Instagram post.

Austin Monthly

What Upright Citizens Brigade’s Arrival in Austin Means for the Local Comedy Scene

In recent years, Austin has become a bastion for edgy, right-leaning comedians like Joe Rogan and Tony Hinchcliffe—but a revered comedy school with roots in Chicago and New York could bring significant change to the capital city’s “anti-woke” comedyscape.

Arguably one of the most famous comedy institutions in the world, Upright Citizens Brigade was originally started by the likes of Amy Poehler and Matt Besser in Chicago in the ’90s and has since expanded to New York and Los Angeles. Now, UCB has a new home right here in Austin.

5 Haunted Places in Austin—That Aren’t The Driskill

When most people think of Austin, ghosts probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind. Tacos? Sure. Live music? Absolutely. Tech bros on scooters? Unfortunately, yes. But spirits of the dearly departed? Not so much.

UT Austin

Climate Change is Making Mythical Creatures in Texas

Growing up in Austin, Texas looked different in the 90s than it does today. I don’t just mean in the way that every generation says that– “Back in my day…”

I mean it in the more ominous, cracking earth, beating sun, crumpling oak trees sort of way; the climate change sort of way.

The Baylor Line

Kiara Nowlin: Undefeated

For many people, it takes years, decades even, to figure out what they want to do with their life. Childhood is spent meandering through schoolyards and playing pretend, teenage years are a constant question mark, and college is just trying on one new identity after the other.

For most people.

Baylor acrobatics and tumbling legend Kiara Nowlin does not fit this mold.

Melissa Lasater: A Woman Who Made it Happen

You don’t let life happen; you make it happen.

These simple words seem to have reverberated in Melissa Lasater’s head for the past several decades.

How AI Has Influenced Higher Education

Decades ago, artificial intelligence was something for sci-fi novels: an imagined future where robots with humanlike intelligence would clean our houses, cook our meals, and otherwise set us up for a life of leisure. A life where we could pursue our passions–write, make art, play music, whatever we liked.

Cut to 2025 and the future is here. Rather than AI bots that glide around dusting our homes a la Rosie in the Jetsons, our AI is largely acting behind the scenes.

Rewire News Group

These 3 OB-GYNs Won’t Leave Texas—Even as Abortion Bans Threaten Their Work

“We can’t all just move to very blue states. We have our community ties here, and these communities still deserve strong OB-GYNs.” – Dr. Victoria Petruzzi, a Houston-born OB-GYN

O Positiv

The History of Sexual Stigmatization in the West

Throughout Western history, sex has gotten a bad rap, often seen as a means to an end, something only men should enjoy, or sinful. But luckily—all of that has changed now. In 2024, we’re all totally sexually liberated and accepting of each other’s choices, and sexual shame and stigmatization are a thing of the past.

(Totally kidding. The West* is still super messed up around sex.)

Toxic Metal in Tampons: What We Really Know

Yes, there is toxic metal in tampons, but maybe it’s chill?

The Biological Clock: A Patriarchal Construct Worth Questioning

It seems no matter how old or young, rich or poor, single or married, asexual or bi, or whatever—every woman, at some point, is reminded by society (and by society we mean family, well-meaning friends, or that one time, a stranger at a basketball game. Yes, seriously.) that her biological clock is ticking! And she had better get busy making babies.

Are Low Carb Diets Good for Women? Studies Say, Maybe Not

Dear grains, we’re sorry. Can we get back together?

The Honeymoon Phase is Over. Now What?

We’ve all heard the phrase “honeymoon phase” in regards to romantic relationships. “Oh you’re still in that honeymoon phase,” married couples will croon to new lovers–jealously, knowingly—usually in Hallmark movies. But what exactly is the honeymoon phase, scientifically, how long does it last, and what are you supposed to do once it’s over?

Sleep Advisor

Melatonin: Everything You Should Know

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland, a small, pea-sized gland in the brain. The pineal gland’s primary role is to receive information about the state of light or darkness in your environment and then produce and secrete melatonin accordingly…

How to Use Light Therapy for Sleep

Light therapy’s beginnings can be traced back to ancient Egypt, India, and Greece. At that time, they practiced various forms of heliotherapy (“sun therapy”) in which patients had their whole body exposed to the sun to treat various mental and physical ailments.

Cut to several millennia later, and light therapy is still being used to treat various mental and physical ailments including…

What is the Definition of Circadian Rhythm?

Circadian rhythm refers to the biological tendency to operate in 24-hour cycles of sleeping and waking. This term is also referred to as a biological or internal clock, even though they’re not quite the same thing (we’ll discuss that in a moment)…

Cold Therapy for Better Sleep

Cold therapy has been around for centuries¹ to treat injuries and muscle soreness, but it has gained mainstream popularity in recent years, largely because of an overall trend toward healthy living and social media helping topics reach a larger audience. On social media, in particular, people claim just about everything about cold therapy – it helps with energy, mood, and of course, sleep. But does it really provide these benefits, and is there scientific data to back up these claims?

Five Reasons Why Women Need More Sleep Than Men

Healthy adults should get at least seven hours of sleep¹ each night, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. As it turns out, though, there may be some slight differences in these sleep needs when it comes to the male and female populations.

Business Insider

Whenever I travel with a partner, we stay in separate bedrooms

A few years ago, my then-partner and I were road-tripping through snowy Colorado. We were doing a good mix of exploring, laughing, talking, and getting on each other’s nerves.

We were staying in a hotel room at the sort of antiquated and charming roadside inn you really only see on postcards or in Schitt’s Creek — and we’d just gotten into a fight.

“I need some space,” I remember saying before walking out into the heavy snow. Immediately, I thought about how taking space would’ve been a lot easier (and warmer) if we’d just gotten a place with two rooms.

NeoMam Studios

The Third-Most Popular Language In Every Country (The Gate)

When we set out to create this post, we knew we wanted to tell a story about language. After all, the language spoken in a country tells us a lot about its history, culture, and relationships with others. So, we began to gather data. Using the CIA World Factbook and Ethnologue, we looked at the most commonly spoken languages in each country of the world. But we didn’t stop there. We also dug up the second- and third-most popular languages in each country – and that’s where things got interesting…

How Six Disney Villains Would Decorate Their Homes in 2019 (Angie’s List)

Years after a movie’s release, children (and let’s not lie: adults, too) will still mindlessly hum their favorite protagonist’s songs or dress up as them for Halloween. There’s even a sweeping trend looking at what real-life Disney princesses would look like, wear, or do for a living in the modern world.

But, what about those characters who aren’t the favorites? The Ursualas, the Jafars, the Maleficents? What would they look like in the modern world? What would they do? Wear? And more importantly- How would they decorate their homes?

The Simpsons X West Anderson (Designboom)

Located on 742 Evergreen Terrace in Springfield, Homer and Marge’s home has remained unchanged through the decades. For this Wes Anderson revamp…

6 garden office spaces inspired by fictional offices (The Ladders)

It feels like about 2 million days since the Pandemic began. If you’re like most people, you’ve probably been doing at least one of these: working from home, watching a whole lot of T.V., and / or baking. Lots of baking.

Perhaps all the T.V. + working from home + sourdough energy has gotten to us, because we’ve been wondering: what would this have all been like for some of our favorite characters? What if they had to work from home?

This Is How Much the Queen’s Coronation Crown Is Worth (Mental Floss)

Research

Elephant Journal

Men, Here’s Where the Woman of Your Dreams is Hiding

… The perfect woman is beautiful. She is thin, almost breakable, but also strong. She is feminine and delicate, yet empowered. She is present, mindful, and deep. She is funny, smart, and witty. She is monogamous and polyamorous. She is tall, yet short. She is black and white. She goes to sacred temples for meditation and orgies on the weekends.

She knows her man more completely than he could ever know himself. She has no boundaries or annoying expectations for him to change, or look within, or grow. She loves and accepts every tiny thing about him, especially those things he struggles with most. She never has meltdowns, bad days, or cellulite. She is his mother, his lover, his best friend, and his therapist.

She is also a complete and utter fabrication.

Women, Here’s Where the Perfect Version of Yourself is Hiding

Recently I wrote an article about men in their 30s and their search for the “perfect woman.”

As you can imagine, I got a range of reactions, from “Not all men,” to “I did find the perfect woman,” to “What about a woman’s relationship with the perfect woman?”

It’s that last question that grabbed my attention. (And for those #NotAllMen-ers out there, yes, we know not all men are doing all the things we’re talking about, just like not all women wear dresses and bake cakes. If I am ever talking about “all” men, I will be sure to let you know.)

Anyway…

How to Support Someone With An Eating Disorder (Instead of Making it Worse)

I had an eating disorder growing up; these days you’d say I’m “in recovery.”

It feels important for me to start there; consider that my diploma on the wall: Natalie Grigson, Anorexia and Bulimia Survivor, 2000 to 2013.

It’s my way of telling you: I know how it is.

An Open Letter to Alcohol

Dear Alcohol,

F*ck you.

The Problem with a Human-Centered Universe

“Everything known to be real, from subatomic particles to billions of galaxies, from the Big Bang to the possible end of the universe, is keyed to observation and as such, to human beings.”

Recovery Warriors

Are You Giving Your Child an Eating Disorder?

I know. It’s a bold title, but of course its point was achieved and here you are, now diving into this discussion with me.

Thanks for coming by.

Movoto Real Estate

The 10 Best Chicago Suburbs for Singles

The Chicago area is one of the best places in the U.S., not only to grow up, but to raise your family, or even meet someone, fall in love, get married… But today, we’re scrapping all that and looking at the best Chicago suburbs for singles. We came up with this list by looking at all of the largest places near Chicago in terms of the percentage of unmarried residents, the population gap between males and females, singles amenities, and the cost of living.

Thirty Things Austinites Love

Complaining About How Hot it is in the Summers…

“It was seriously like a hundred and thirty degrees last August. I swear!”
Really? Was it really just four degrees shy of the hottest temperature on record in the United States, ever? As much as Austinites love to complain about the summers, though; we’ll miss them come winter.

Complaining About How Unusual Cold it Was in the Winter…

The Burrow from Harry Potter For Sale

I have read each Harry Potter book at least four times. I own an autographed copy of the “Half Blood Prince”. My best friend and I are getting tattoos of the Hallows. If I get married, the Weird Sisters will play at my wedding. Albus Dumbledore is my hero.

I’m not just telling you these things so that you’ll know how much cooler I am than you; I’m telling you so that we can all agree on something: I am kind of a fan.

So when one of the Movoto Real Estate crew recently took a poll on Facebook, “Which would you rather see the value of: The Weasley house or the Order of the Phoenix house?” I (politely) informed them it is called The Burrow, thank you, and equally kindly told him that I’d be taking it from here.

View infographic

Beyond Chron

Talking Spirituality: Meditation and Addiction

Hi, my name is Natalie and I…

I paused, not quite sure what to say.

…and I am just here.

Talking Spirituality: Just Vibes, Man

Last Sunday I decided to go see a psychic for the first time. No, I didn’t lose a bet; and no, I’m not having serious doubts about some big future decision. Really, I just wanted to see what it was like. Now Julie the Psychic actually pegged herself as Julie the “Intuitive.” I didn’t know what this meant, and when I asked her she gave me a very long and almost poetic answer about the energies of people, the universe, and our connectedness. How we’re all just small, intertwined threads of something much larger that we can’t even grasp! But that still didn’t answer my question about the word choice.

“I’m a psychic,” she finally said grudgingly.

Talking Spirituality: Just a Phone Call Away

To an outsider, I imagine that the past year or so of my life might look rather like what would happen if an adventure book met up with a spirituality book in the self-help section, and then they decided to hop on a roller coaster.

It’s been an interesting ride.

I’ll be honest with you, reader. I may have lost some pages on the way, my spine may be a bit battered, I—okay, I don’t think I can continue with this book metaphor, but it was fun while it lasted.

Editing

The Smell of Breath, a Novel Conor McMillen

Written as a long letter to his ex-wife, this novel is a poetic journey of raw emotion with simple and yet profound truths. It is a complex and mysterious interweaving of first person, third person, conversations and poems, that criss-cross time and space. This book, while focused on what it looks like to be a man lost in a great transition, transcends manhood and expresses what it is to be human on the search for meaning, connection, love and self.

Happy in the Sun, Happy in the Rain Conor McMillen

The highly-anticipated book on understanding and accessing a true state of happiness in every moment is now available. This book answers the question – What is happiness? It discusses what keeps us from it and what helps us align with it. During these times of uncertainty, this is the book you want to be reading! You will learn how to rewire your brain, your heart and your soul to live a more powerful and loving existence.

Conflict = Energy Jason Digges

Authentic Relating provides the framework to transform every aspect of relationships -starting with the one to ourselves. It is truth and compassion together in a journey to become more awake and aware in every relationship. With practice, we can learn to alchemize conflict into clarity, connection, and creativity.

This book is dedicated to distilling 20 years of research into the ART of becoming a better human. Join thousands of people and growing on this journey to expand our capacities to listen, understand, and truly connect.

Hasidic Jew Night at the Roller Rink Keith Ruckus

How do you handle a break-up? Do you move on gracefully? Do you throw a tantrum of epic proportions? In Keith Ruckus’ second compilation, we delve once more into the world of failed romances. An eclectic mix of prose, poetry, text messages, dating website correspondence, and random thoughts made while laying in bed at 4AM. Experience this slice of life glimpse into the devastation that losing the wrong person at the wrong time can bring onto someone. “Raw, bitter, funny and heartbreaking – all at once.” – Nakia (Singer/Songwriter)

Castles in Spain Estefanía Lee – ghostwritten & edited

There’s no feeling quite so thrilling as losing ourselves in our own dreams. Castles in Spain, a carefully-compiled selection of love letters isn’t just a way of escaping — it’s a secret adoration for lives unlived.

Within these pages are the what was and what could have beens of six of the author’s most significant relationships – love stories, in one way or another – embellished, fictionalized, and made anonymous for those involved. And of course the lines between fact and fiction aren’t always clear. Not when you’re building castles in the sky.

The Big Liquor Lie Eric Fry

A recent study looked at the brains of more than 30,000 generally healthy middle-aged residents of the UK drinking a variety of amounts of alcohol / alcohol of any kind. It found that even those drinking (on average) one to two drinks per day (or seven total drinks per week) showed:

– A thinning of the prefrontal cortex and other brain regions (it reduces the brain’s thickness)
– In fact, it actually scaled with the amount of alcohol people drank (the more alcohol you drink, the more your prefrontal cortex will thin)

So just to sum up…