That moment when you’re reading one of your essays live for the very first time–before a convention center full of librarians, no less–and you realize although you know what it…View post

Every week the Wisconsin State Journal runs “Roughneck Grace,” a weekly column written by Mike (many of the columns will be adapted from Mike’s Tent Show Radio monologues). This week’s…View post

  If you’re within range of (or can stream) one of these stations tonight (Saturday, May 4th) we hope you’ll join Mike as he hosts another edition of Tent Show Radio from Big Top…View post

Sometimes you step to the microphone, look down, and there at the foot of the stage is a note, and it infuses every note to follow.

This piece began with a paragraph written for the Montaigne book a week before Prince died. I’m grateful to Belt Publishing for including it in their “Under Purple Skies” anthology, to Longreads…View post