Out of the Middle Ages

Backcountry Magazine has published my first feature length article.  It is a story about my trip to Kyrgyzstan with the Return to Kyrgyzstan crew last February.  There are several things I love about this piece.  To start with, I really enjoy Jon Mancuso's photos.  Secondly, I am proud that we did some good work with Hayat and his team and hope the story inspires others to follow along. Lastly, I learned a lot in the process of writing this piece and am grateful for Tyler's patience and guidance.  My notes were over 15,000-words.  My first draft was over 9000.  He pushed me to consolidate and make every word count so we could get the piece to around 3000.  And as he told me, the story is better at 3000 than it is at 9000.  It was an amazing challenge for me. 

This was quite a journey.  Not every moment was bliss.  But I am honored to call all of these characters, the Americans and the Kyrgyz, friends.