My nine months as an outsider in Oregon — I stood in his bathroom with a bucket, a sponge, and a can of Ajax bleach. He was in the doorway. A strange and angular-looking middle-aged man staring at me through wire-rimmed glasses with a lascivious grin. My skinny body was nervous, but I was broke and I needed the…

How to take risks and be authentic with your writing and creativity — Many creative people find it difficult to write and create honest work from their own experiences because they’re afraid to be vulnerable and show their inner thoughts and sensitive history. I believe the best creativity comes from real life and the most authentic stories come from true experiences. It’s our…

A year of testing, surgery, embarrassment, and pain led to being more than a survivor — My mom, dad, and I were all in a patient waiting room in Minneapolis. A small room in an area of the children’s hospital. I was cold, wearing nothing but a thin, paper hospital gown. It was the late 80s and I had turned 15 the day before. Half my…

“Wild Women” in San Francisco led to “No Games” in Amsterdam and an anthem at Oakland Coliseum — The studio was filled with smoke. My eyes were red and puffy and each breath I took was filled with leftover joint fumes. I stared through the haze over the microphone into the engineering booth waiting for talk back. “That was dope.” “Really? You thought so?” I asked. “Yeah, bro…

Learn how to take risks and be authentic with your writing and creativity — I’m happy to announce that I’ll be talking about Creative Courage and Vulnerability on Saturday, August 12th, as part of the Medium Day international virtual conference! My session will happen at: 10:30 am PST / 11:30 am MST / 12:30 pm CST / 1:30 pm EST / 6:30 pm GMT+1…

An affair in the Yucatan leads to disturbing acts of violence — Find all episodes here: Tedium - A Fiction Series A fiction series about a burned-out musician who departs on an impromptu journey from San Francisco through the desert…gentrybronson.medium.com Music rose from the jukebox. First a whispered woman’s voice singing, then gentle guitar spilled over a seductive dance of bass, percussion, and piano. Jarette immediately recognized the song and the singer. Once I Loved by Astrud Gilberto.

My dog, a farm animal, Mr. Smedge, and Marty Bangles led to a first base disaster — It was late September and I could feel winter coming. The leaves had changed color and the grass was nearly brown. Winter was always around the corner in Granite City. Snow often fell in October and stayed until May. At Westforest Elementary, teachers made us go outside for recess at…

Mrs. Kablutsen was my nemesis — We sat cross-legged on the colorful carpet in three rows. Thirty small bodies looking straight ahead with young, innocent faces at Mrs. Kablutsen. She stood in front of an empty blackboard and seemed too old to be a kindergarten teacher. Mrs. Kablutsen looked like the dolls my grandmother made from…

An occasionally true story about nearly dying in Turkey, how the Queen of Voodoo removed a curse, and the magnetic pull of the road — Months after my stint performing in Holland, I was in a village in Turkey near Adana on the Syrian border. I thought I was gathering musical ideas, but really I was drawn by the magnet again to a new, foreign place and heading deep into it. I woke up one…