Nathan Branson
Whatever you read here is a way for me to hash out ideas until I can talk about them in real-time with whoever is willing to join in.
Writing Poetry is About Being Aware of When to Write
And Less About Knowing How to Write Something That Rhymes
I started regularly writing poems in 2009 after two friends asked me to help them write song lyrics. My friends Zack, Marcus and I were sitting around a campfire late one night in the mountains. Zach was holding a guitar and Marcus was playing a banjo. Zack said “Nate, you were an English major. Do you think you teach us how to write song . . .
10 Wendell Berry Quotes
Do Small-town Americans Know What This Man is Saying?
Anyone who lives in a small town should read at least one Wendell Berry essay. He’s got something to say about the “health” (a word he uses a lot) of small-town and rural existence. What is its future? Will it continue to exist? What is lost when both urban spaces and small towns become suburbs?
However, it seems to me that . . .
Posted in: quotesruralurbanwendell berry
Millennials: Addicted to the iPhone but Wanting to Know How to Live Without It
Are Millennials really in love with technology?
About 3-4 years ago my dad told me that some of guys who worked at his auto shop were so distracted by their IPhones that it was affecting their productivity. The "tire guys," who put new tires on cars and do the oil changes, were the ones he was concerned about. As a high schooler, I was a tire guy every summer, where, like NASCAR . . .
Posted in: david foster wallaceeveryday survivalfighting distractionludditesmillennialspeace of mindself-control
The Materialistic Pathway Prevents Some from Believing the American Dream
How do we imagine the American Dream?
Every semester I ask my students to define the American Dream. In classroom discussion I ask them to name multiple characteristics of the American Dream. Next I push them to come to a consensus about 3-4 core characteristics that define this concept. Some of the most common characteristics named are social mobility, financial security, . . .
Two Questions About Pride: The Difference Between “Good pride”/ “Bad Pride” and How to Avoid Becoming an Arrogant/Prideful Person
Defining and Preventing Pride
1. What is the difference between "good pride" and "bad pride?"
Every semester I put a list of the seven deadly sins on a PowerPoint slide before my freshman English class. I ask my class to write a 300 word response to this question: "of the seven deadly sins, which threatens America the most in 2016?" . . .
Distraction is No Excuse for Millennial Adults
Four Tips to Help the Untrained Brain
As a college English teacher, I often hear students flippantly self-identify as being easily distracted. My students speak as if this is unusual and inevitable. It seems as if they’ve been taught that a distracted brain cannot be cured, outside of ADHD medication.
Being a 33-year-old American adult who is easily distracted, I . . .
Four Steps to Leading a Backpacking Trip
On my 29th birthday, I wrote down in a notebook that I would learn to be a competent backpacker before my 30th birthday. For years I'd been gathering people to explore state parks on day hikes. Yet I was not confident enough to lead a pack of friends into the woods overnight. After about 2 12 years of talking to experienced backpackers, . . .
