Letting the Time Breathe: My Mother’s Visit to Poland
An essay on mother-son relationships, presence over busy travel schedules, and discovering history together in Warsaw and Kraków.
Dispatches from an Iranian American Expat
An Iranian-American writer's weekly dispatch from wherever life abroad has landed him — essays, photography, and food, all in search of the same thing: home.
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Mutianyu Unfiltered: Between the Valley Floor and the Sleeping Buddha
A photo essay from Mutianyu exploring the contrast between the quiet village life in the valley below and the Great Wall high in the ridges above.
Warsaw Expat Life: July Updates, Book Marketing, & World Cup Thoughts
The manuscript is back in the publishing black box, and social media prep is officially underway. In this month’s newsletter: book rollout updates, Kraków travels with family, and spy fiction reviews.
A Thousand Touches: Writing My Way Through the Hyphen
Local enough that everyone knew us. Foreign enough that no one quite knew what to do with us. That's what it meant to grow up in Bardstown, Kentucky — and it's why I wrote a novel about it.
Grilling as an Expat: Linking the Past, Present, and Future
New essay: what charcoal grilling as an expat taught me about nostalgia, my dad, and the stories we tell to make our habits sound more meaningful than they are.
China’s Craft Beer Is Great. So Why Does Everyone Still Want American IPAs?
I moved to Beijing expecting bad beer. I found IPAs that beat half of what's on shelves in the US — and a market that still won't believe it. 🍺
Carrying the Past in Modern Sarajevo
A visual testament to a city carrying the weight of yesterday while unflinchingly charting its path toward renewal.
The Permanent Impermanence of Expat Life
A major novel update, free street photography stories, and adjusting to the frantic pace of mid-life travel.
"You see that city? That is Valter"
Notes from Sarajevo on national myths, generational resilience, and finding beauty in the world's liminal spaces.
The Silent Ballet of Beijing's Scooters
Why navigating Beijing's silent, smartphone-wielding scooter fleet required the focus of a fighter pilot.
The Texture of Dublin
A visual essay capturing the moody light, rain-slicked stones, and quiet human rhythms of the Irish capital.