Essay Portfolio

Freelance essays and articles across pop culture and travel

-Film Analysis

-Music & Musicians

-TV

-Travel

-Film Analysis -Music & Musicians -TV -Travel

Selected Works

How Shinedown Went from Drugs and Angst to Inspirational Advocacy

A music essay examining the hard rock band’s evolution of sound and style, as inspired by lifestyle changes

GENRE: Music Analysis

PopMatters

Surprising Parallels Between the King of Kaiju and King of Kings

A faith-based perspective piece analyzing similarities between the Japanese movie monster and the Christian God

GENRE: Film Analysis

Geeks Under Grace

Wallace, ID, the Tiny Idaho Town Hollywood ‘Destroyed’

A photo essay that explores a filming location for a disaster movie, tailored for travelers seeking practical tips on where to go, what to do, etc.

GENRE(S): Travel, Film

Go World Travel

MUSIC

  • How Shinedown Went from Drugs and Angst to Inspirational Advocacy

    Hard rock band Shinedown are never quiet about their struggles and never will be as they assure fans that being “slightly awkward, kinda weird” is perfectly normal.

    PopMatters

    Read Now

  • Tame Impala: The Champion of Introverts

    Despite society’s antagonism toward introverts, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker steadfastly offers himself as a vulnerable, somewhat blushing symbol of the gifted loner.

    PopMatters

    Read Now

  • The 10 Quintessential Tame Impala Songs

    Tame Impala’s deeply revealing songs disclose important details about Kevin Parker’s life and outlook and mark the cornerstones of his individuality.

    PopMatters

    Read Now

  • The 10 Best ’80s and ’90s Love Songs For Wounded Idealists

    These ten love songs, marked by devotion, candor, emotional intensity, and touches of pain, invite perceptive listeners to unearth the simmering drama.

    PopMatters

    Read Now
  • Brian May and Benson Boone at Coachella 2025

    Brian May, Coachella 2025, and Modern Music Festivals

    Is a young person’s inability to recognize Queen’s guitarist, Brian May at Coachella, the cardinal music sin many believe it to be?

    PopMatters

    Read Now

FILM/TV

  • ‘They Live’ in Your Mind in the Digital Age

    John Carpenter’s 1988 sci-fi satire is more relevant now than it ever was in the 20th century

    Read Now

  • Surprising Parallels Between the King of Kaiju and King of Kings

    Godzilla has always been more than a monster. He even shares traits with God Almighty!

    Geeks Under Grace

    Read Now

  • Akane Yashiro: Nothing So Strong as Gentleness

    A deep-dive into one of the Godzilla saga’s greatest heroines.

    Asian Movie Pulse

    Read Now

  • Nefarious: A Game-Changer for the Christian Film Industry

    An analysis of one of Christian cinema’s darkest and most daring entries

    Film East

    Read Now

  • Volcano: A Subtly Brilliant, Half-Baked Disaster Epic

    A defense-of piece for one of disaster cinema’s most well-known—and well-loathed—films

    Film East

    Read Now

  • Should Christians Watch The Simpsons?

    Is America’s favorite dysfunctional family too dysfunctional for the pop culture-engaged believer?

    Read Now

TRAVEL

  • Wallace, ID, the Tiny Idaho Town Hollywood 'Destroyed'

    Photo essay of the setting of Dante’s Peak (1997), a volcanic disaster movie filmed in Wallace, ID

    Go World Travel

    Read Now

  • Solo in Idaho: In Tough Times, the Right Choice

    A narrative photo essay about a multi-week solo trip across the Gem State—including the good, bad, and decidedly ugly

    IDAHO Magazine—requires purchase to read full article

    Read Excerpt

Get in Touch.

Contact me for writing inquiries, blog posts, or collaborative projects. I look forward to working with you!