My name is Brandon Cook.  I'm a 44 year old husband and father.  I love to read and write, and to prove it, I got a 2 on the AP Calculus exam.  But that was a long time ago; these days, I run, with my wife, an organization called Naming the Real (namingthereal.com). It's the best gig I've found, but a close second was working as a storyteller (yes, a real paid job) in Birmingham, AL. Speaking of,  I'm from the South originally, and I miss my accent.  Also, I actually do like long walks on the beach.  Those are the broad strokes. 

Why did I create this website? Because of stories.

Stories help us make sense of the desire within us. They can bring, for just a moment, a clear line of sight into the shapes of our deepest feelings and longings which, at all other times, defy neat categorization and any steady viewing.      

So, here are some of the stories and poems (along with a few songs and essays) I've written as I seek to make more tangible for myself and, hopefully, for someone else, the wonder of all this beautiful mystery.