By noon it’s pushing 95˚ and I’ve already covered more than 23 miles. Twenty-three used to be a big day, but now it’s just a typical morning. I’m fitter now than I’ve ever been. Able to pull off week-long strings of ultra distances and not feel gassed. It’s weird, sort of like I get stronger as the miles add up. Recently I’ve been ending each … Continue reading Countdown Story #4: Athens, AL
Twice I notice the same thunderous motorcycle with a trailer attached. It goes toward Gilmer, TX and then away from it. The third time the rider flashes me a peace sign then turns round. Slows on the shoulder beside me. “Name’s Huey. Like Baby Huey or Huey Lewis,” he says. “My dog is usually sitting on the trailer, but today I left him at home. … Continue reading Countdown Story #3: Gilmer, TX
As I push Little Buddy down a smooth Winchester sidewalk, I come across a woman seated on a curb. She’s dressed in all black and is carrying a mini-AC unit still in the box. Arctic Air. I say hello, and we get to chatting. Her name is Kitty. She’s just returned from Walmart and is waiting for the bus. She asks about the Walk USA … Continue reading Countdown Story #2: Winchester, VA
I trade morning frost on my tent for a midday sunburn. Dodge angry thorns and rattlesnake carcasses, and flick a scorpion off my pant leg. Vehicles fly past at triple digits, leaving leave behind a trail of empty beer cans and Gatorade bottles of piss. All day the desert dares me to let my guard down. All day I focus on the rippling horizon and … Continue reading Countdown Story #1: Safford, AZ
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After two and a half years of writing and rewriting, editing and re-editing, I am thrilled to have my two books out in the world! With a Good Heart: A Walk From LA to Brooklyn and Imagine the Sea: One Hundred Poems From a Long Walk (a companion book of poetry) are available for purchase! Please consider buying them through the publisher’s website. You can … Continue reading BUY BOOKS HERE!
That photo of me with my arms stretched out is old. Like, 7 years old. But it well represents how I’m feeling right now. Singing from the highest mountaintop (which in NC isn’t all that high). Breathing a sigh of relief, for the time being, anyhow. Today I finished the first major draft of my book. And it’s by pure coincidence that I began writing … Continue reading Draft #1 COMPLETE!!
On September 8, 2019, I started walking all the streets in my hometown, Carrboro, North Carolina. Why? My reason was two-fold: To see every nook of my community of 10 years. To meet folks I’d otherwise never meet and retell part of their story. I had a few rules: All walks start and finish from my house. Use the Town of Carrboro trash pickup map … Continue reading All the Streets in Carrboro
Two birds make a regular appearance at the feeder just outside my front window. Cardinals. The large, red male abruptly lands, then precariously stands atop the dangling cage as he leans beyond his feet to manage a bit from the diminishing suet. He hollers endlessly, chirping as as he swings from the chain, his weight shifting, his footing anything but steady. He pecks at the … Continue reading Togetherness
Back in late February, I left my home in Carrboro, NC and drove cross country to Portland, OR. I temporarily settled in the Rose City and am working a long-term, on-site consulting contract with one of my premier clients. Upon arrival, I tried to incorporate book-writing into my daily schedule. But unlike writers who work their manuscript into a busy life, I shelved my work-in-progress … Continue reading Book Status And More
On (My) Writing Write a narrative that shows and gives language to how change might look. Reckon with complicity. Ask, “How am I aligning myself with power?” Note: Sometimes I need to leave the country in order to fully see home. Don’t be swayed by the perceived danger associated with showing emotion. On (My) Reasons For Writing How do I consider the efficacy of … Continue reading (My) Writing
Tom Griffen 
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