I am deeply honored, and a little puzzled, to have been recently selected to appear in Marquis Who’s Who. It came out of nowhere. (Actually, LinkedIn.) As far as I can determine, inductees are chosen for having an impact. In my case that means having stuck with it for so long—about 15 years of being a professor, 15 years of being an editor, and 15 years as a blogger (with some overlaps). I’ve not seen the bio that will appear, but I suspect it will say little of my fiction writing, but it may mention the nonfiction books I’ve had published. From my perspective—and I told the interviewer this—my life has been a long series of struggles and not giving up. When you’re raised in difficult circumstances the temptation to give up is all around. But I would be disingenuous if I didn’t point out that my siblings also pushed through as well, and I’m proud of who they’ve become. Three of them are over sixty. Maybe Who’s Who should be a family thing.
All of us depend on those around us. Although I tend to work alone—my blog, my books, most of my YouTube videos, these things I do largely by myself—I have the support of my family, both birth and marriage branches. I have friends, the vast majority of them remote and seldom seen. They support me in quieter ways and if you’re one of them, you know who you are. Nashotah House, it is true, discarded me like a used diaper. They also, however, gave me my professional start. I was also tossed aside by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Gorgias Press, Rutgers University, and Routledge, all in their own ways and for their own reasons. I would not be who I am, however, were it not for all of them.
I don’t mean for this post to sound like I’ve just received an Emmy or anything, but the situation has made me quite reflective. And humbled. I work hard, and I have worked and struggled for many decades now. I’ve received very few awards along the way, so this is like a bolt from the blue. I doubt it will make any difference in my day-to-day existence. I still work 9-2-5, struggle to meet unexpected expenses, and write. Always write. But being chosen is a rare feeling for me. I suspect that’s true for most people who are, like me, just trying to get by with what they’ve got. We get by. We face four rough years ahead, but we’ll get through them, because we’re all in this together. Everybody’s somebody who deserves the notice of others.