Free Essay -- "The Enormous Cell Phone" Available at Prime Number Magazine

Prime Number Magazine issue 47 just went live and with it my latest essay "The Enormous Cellphone."* From a structural standpoint, this piece was difficult to write, blending together the personal account of a potential assault and my affinity for one of John Cheever's most famous stories. I'm excited about how it came out, and I hope it has something interesting to say about perception. The essay is followed by a short Q & A interview with yours truly. It was a lot of fun (though if I'm being completely honest my biggest goal was just to get out alive, without sound like an egghead or an airhead. Here's hoping!) As always, thanks for reading!

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* Author Note: Initially, I felt hesitant about trying to publish this piece because I didn't want it to seem like I was jumping on any bandwagon following the Jerry Sandusky scandal, but ultimately I am glad I decided to send it out, and I am thrilled to see it accepted at such an excellent journal as Prime Number. To be clear, this essay was written prior to that scandal coming to light, and though it addresses (among other themes) the issue of sexual assault and its frequency in U.S. college culture, the two incidents are very different in nature and completely unrelated, involving none of the same individuals. Furthermore, my intention is not to contribute to an ongoing cultural drift toward self-righteousness, which has little to do with stopping sexual assault or helping its victims. As someone who earned his undergraduate writing degree from Penn State University and a minor in Women's Studies, and as someone who has taught creative writing at a Penn State satellite campus, I can say authoritatively that PSU is a great place to earn an education. Additionally, having been for many years a resident of University Park and, later, the town of State College, I can verify that (like many rural communities) they are not only beautiful and cultured places to live but very safe places, as well.