Secret Origins

Bryan Stratton — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:16:14 +0000

Another blast from the past, courtesy of Google. In the summer of 2004, I wrote an article celebrating the 20th anniversary of the comics store where I spent the better part of my growing-up years in Barre, VT. It was published in Burlington, VT’s Seven Days, the alt-weekly newspaper that published my very first professional work (a review of a Sex Pistols reunion show) in 1996.

7D wasn’t interested in just another “local business survives two decades” story, so they asked me to contribute my reminiscences of how I became a comics fan and what an influence the proprietor, Mark Patterson, had on my life. I eagerly accepted the challenge, which gave me the opportunity to add about about 50% more schmaltz to the piece than originally planned. It’s sappy, it’s highly sentimental and it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever done.

image © Mark Patterson

Tagged: comics, vermont, writing

My Dad

Bryan Stratton — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:20:30 +0000

Today marks my dad’s last day of work, after 13 years as Barre City’s clerk/treasurer and approximately 87 years of full-time employment, during which he never called in sick and walked uphill to and from work in blinding snowstorms every day.

Rich just sent me a link to a really great article that our hometown paper ran on him today.

The man is an absolute machine, a champion of the people, and I hope to be just like him someday.

(And by that, I mean retired.)

Congratulations, Dad. I love you.

bryan stratton dot com » vermont

Secret Origins

My Dad