
Writing Samples

For Bird’s 100th, a Bibliophile’s Guide to Big-Hearted Books
“To Jay McShann,” writes Stanley Crouch in Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker, “Parker seemed to have a crying soul, a spirit as troubled by the nature of life as it was capable of almost unlimited celebration.”

Cannabis in the Jazz Age & Missouri's Critical Influence
"The Roaring ‘20s brought on grand illusions of a country teeming with glitz, glam, and grandeur, but under the surface, Americans searched deeply for identity. Our post-war society was hungry for prosperity and meaning and we demanded it any way we could and often in extreme opposites."

Power & Corruption:
A Mini-History of Cannabis Cultivation in the United States and Mexico’s Connection
"It’s not news that hemp was cultivated in the United States dating back to Jamestown and farms of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and again for the Hemp for Victory war campaign, but when did the United States become one of the premier cannabis-growing countries in the world? Cannabis is currently the 5th largest crop in the United States, and Forbes projects the market will reach $41 billion in annual sales by 2026."

Ritual Use of Cannabis:
Ancient Religious, Spiritual, & Medicinal Practices
"Rituals are the bedrock of religious and spiritual practices. We have baptisms, hymns, chanting, fasting, praying, making pilgrimages, taking Communion, going to confession, and countless others, including the consumption of cannabis."

Opulence, Elegance and Ruin:
The Savoy Hotel Bed & Breakfast
"Opulence, elegance and ruin. The Savoy Hotel Bed & Breakfast in the historic Garment District in downtown Kansas City, Mo., wears a complicated personality."

Whiskey & Kansas City: The Story Of
J. Rieger & Co. Distillery
"Everyone loves whiskey. Whiskey Sours, whiskey ginger, whiskey mixed with muddled fruit. Rye whiskey, Scotch whisky, whiskey made from barley, corn and wheat. Everyone from Mark Twain to Humphrey Bogart to medieval Monks to one of our founding fathers, George Washington, loved whiskey; he kept a successful distillery business in Mount Vernon, Va."