Commercial Writing

I’ve written on-brand blogs and web content for Audley Travel, Evil Overlord Games, Demiurge Studios, my own somatic counseling practice, and others. Examples of prestige destination descriptions, marketing announcements, studio news, development blogs, and wellness writing.

Aspen, Colorado Place page from Audley Travel

Named for the striking white-barked trees of the same name, Aspen, Colorado is best known as a ski paradise for the jet set. But it draws all kinds of visitors in the warmer months when it becomes a haven for adventurers.

Aspen is an impressive sight in the warmer months, when the bright white bark of the eponymous trees stands out against the green or vibrant yellow of their leaves. Set amid evergreens that climb the lower slopes of the surrounding mountains, they form part of a singular landscape in the Colorado Rockies, which are often snow-frosted even as wildflowers proliferate over the meadows in July. At a height of 2,400 m (8,000 ft), the former silver mining town is now a playground for the celebrity jet set — and a luxe and inviting setting for rest and relaxation after your adventures.

Somatic Counseling: Attention and relaxation

“The way we use language to talk about bodymind states is fascinating, and one of the thorniest paradoxes I’ve found is the apparent dichotomy of attention and relaxation. So often in sessions, when people bring attention to a place, they also bring tension. The body speaks its own, impressionistic language, and many bodies seem to respond to the fact that the words sound alike. It doesn’t help, either, that the word “attention” has so much baggage in our culture. Soldiers and servants are meant to stand at attention: that is, stiffly, formally, awaiting orders from some outside authority. Children are constantly being told to pay attention, and that idiom doesn’t end with childhood: as adults learn what it means to pay for things, attention becomes another form of rare currency, not to be spent lightly.”

Cologne, Germany place page from Audley Travel

Sophisticated Cologne spreads along both banks of the Rhine, and its medieval old town, hyper-modern buildings and hip culture provide a great base from which to explore the Rhine Valley. You can stay here and visit Frankfurt, Oberwesel and other destinations along the river. We can also arrange for you to visit from those other cities and see Cologne’s highlights on a boat or walking tour.

The 2,000-year-old city, once a provincial capital in the Roman Empire, is still a major shipping thoroughfare, cultural landmark and chic waterfront destination. Influenced by its proximity to France and its deep history as a crossroads, Cologne boasts an international, cosmopolitan feel, with fast trains to Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris, the busiest shopping district in Europe and a strong LGBTQ culture.

Evil Overlord Games: Showing at GaymerX

“We talk a lot about our deep and involving narrative, our unique system by which individual player actions shift the world subtly for others, our evocative and beautiful art. But we don’t talk a lot about our nonbinary-gender characters, or about our bisexual characters, or our gay characters – mostly because the world we’re creating gives space to all kinds of expressions of gender and sexuality, without making a big deal about it.

While the world of Susurrus is messed up in countless ways, it’s fun to imagine that gender/sexuality policing and homophobia aren’t among them. This is idealized, of course: in real life, that is nowhere near the reality. And in some supernatural fictions, exploring the consequences of those oppressions is a big part of the point. But we also feel, as gender- and sexuality-diverse developers, that being able to spend time in a world that’s more relaxed about those things is a refreshing change, and a chance to feel safe for a while, to feel centered in a fictive world that doesn’t often center us.”

Tour of Schilthorn in Switzerland: Activity page from Audley Travel

Spend the day exploring Schilthorn, a high mountain destination that offers an unobstructed view of this part of the Alpine range. Your cable car ride begins from one of the resort villages below and allows you to take in the cascading layers of mountains that spill out to the east, including the Jungfrau massif with its triple peak. At the base of the mountains is the lush Lauterbrunnen Valley, also known as the Valley of the 72 Waterfalls.

At the top, you can roam the observation platform for 360-degree views, and in the warmer months, set off on hiking trails. You can also eat at the Piz Gloria revolving restaurant, which featured in the 1969 James Bond movie, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The site takes advantage of its association with the superspy with an interactive exhibit and cinema.

SOMATIC COUNSELING BLOG: CONSENT WORKSHOPS

“It is built into our culture to avoid saying no; this makes imprecations to “just say no” nearly absurd. Think about how hard it can be to even hang up on a telemarketer or close the door on a fundraiser, let alone tell someone you like that you can’t meet them for lunch. Escalate that to telling someone you might want to sleep with at some point – or that you’ve had sex with a hundred times before! – that no, actually, you don’t want to have sex with them right now, and you begin to see the elaborate language we have built around refusal.”