I’m a 33-year-old serial thinker. That’s not to be glorified–I am always thinking, even against my own will. I have always been this way since I was a youth in Bryan, Texas, where I was born and raised. I was inquisitive as a young boy, constantly imagining things both real and surreal. Often times, I would question circumstances and why certain things had to be the ways they were. Through grade school, I was blessed to have a few educators who would encourage me to express myself (as long as it did not disrupt class, lol). That inspiration along with my endless imagination fueled me through all of my writing assignments, which I always excelled in. The skill did not come from being naturally gifted–but because of the obsession I developed with all of the creative ways one can use words to convey a message, tell a story, or simply get their point across.

When I attended university, at Jackson State University (Jackson, MS) and then Huston-Tillotson University (Austin, TX), my knack for writing evolved. I met professors who didn’t simply grade papers and hand them back–they challenged my perspectives. Once I realized that I was faced with the possibility of my perspectives being challenged, it changed the ways I thought and wrote. This was because I realized taking a defined stance required agency in the things I wrote, to which now I credit my passion for writing. That pivotal era doesn’t undermine anything I have experienced as an adult; it only sharpened my focus.

Through most of my life as a young adult, I’ve experienced people and events that refined my perspectives. I’ve also learned about some objective realities we all face, both varying and identical, that cause perspectives to shift circumstantially. Through my lens, having taking note of this reality and observing where my curiosity lied, I noticed a need for broadened conversation on a lot of things. So I made the decision to use some spare time creatively and share my thoughts on a range of things I am passionate or intrigued about. I started Soul-Ridden as a repository where I write about the things both none of us ever think as well as things a lot of us think and feel daily.

I spend the majority of my time currently as a homebody (with my girlfriend, Kyra, and our dogs, Mia and Whiskey) and a gamer. Other hobbies I enjoy are playing pool, listening to all eras of HipHop/R&B music, and painting. I have a strong sense of justice thus my passion is to make myself and others around me feel heard. I understand that my opinions aren’t always agreeable, but I try my best to ground them in knowledge and nuance. My number one goal in life is to soak up as much knowledge as possible–knowledge that helps me better understand circumstances. Even on this journey as a writer, I plan to share these thoughts with you as I learn. It’s a pleasure to have you read my work and I hope you find a sense of deeper meaning in what I write.