Martin
Known Since: 1989ish
Resides In: Wake Forest, NC
I met Martin through the amateur press publication many of us were in. Martin was a great writer and we all learned much about him and his life through this publication. A big part of the magazine was "mailing comments", where we were supposed to be commenting on each other's stuff, but spent a lot of time chatting about other things. It was there where we started becoming friends, and we kept it up once the e-mail age come upon us. Interestingly enough, we never actually met face to face until 1998, when Martin decided to fly out and join the annual San Diego gathering, and he's been a regular ever since (thanks, as always, to his wife for letting him come out and play with the boys for a few days a year). Martin's an immediately likeable guy, easy-going and quick with a laugh or a smile. A prolific online writer, Martin's a big nostalgia buff and enjoys collecting things from the era of his childhood, always reminding himself that all that was a part of who he is. Martin married his wife, Terri, back when we were all still in the magazine, and they had a son named Drew. They've both been through many trials and ordeals with Drew's medical problems and the legal issues surrounding them, but have come out stronger as a family on the other side. Martin's a great dad, a great guy to hang out and knock back a few with, the one guy who will always answer your e-mail immediately (one of Martin's pet peeves is procrastination) and someone you just want to make sure is part of your circle of friends. And yes, Martin, the you've still got dibs on the futon on your next trip out here.
Random Me and Martin Memory: Ticking off all my neighbors by sitting at the table in the courtyard and talking way into the night, prompting a number of overly dramatic window slammings.
Martin and son Drew