Phil Ray Jack

"Why do you write?" I like to ask my students. Sometimes I'm teaching college writing courses, and students typically say things like, "Because it's required," or "Because I want to get a good grade." On occasion, I'll be teaching a workshop for people who actually want to write, and their answers tend to be a lot different. "I write to discover more about myself," or "I write so I don't feel alone." I'm one of those people who writes because I don't have a choice. It's not that I'm being forced to for a class or a job, but I simply cannot imagine a life without writing. All of the other reasons come into play. Writing is a process of discovery, so I write to learn more about myself. I discover things about the world around me that I might have missed if I didn't write about them. Besides writing, I teach at Adams State University in southern Colorado. I grew up in this area, but I spent a couple of decades wandering before I came home. During my adventures, I spent time as a union activist as well as teaching for several community colleges in New Mexico and Washington State. And I love horses. One of the main reasons I returned to Colorado was to be able to own and ride my own horse again. I've become involved in a horse rescue, and we are beginning to work closely with veterans -- bringing heroes together with horses makes miracles happen.