Joseph Rein: father, husband, writer, professor, runner/bicyclist/light weight trainer, and coffee/gin/whiskey aficionado.
Father: I have four young, beautiful, and rambunctious children who are the absolute best thing in this world and the most intense source of frustration and sleeplessness. Parenting is a nonstop job that conveniently gets in the way of everything you ever try to do. It also gives me reason to succeed in those things. Because of these four, I’m busier than everyone else I know. Which leads me to…
Husband: I’m what you might call new-age, I guess? Or perhaps feminist. Or whatever you want to label a person who believes that a married couple should share everything, including responsibilities, equally. Because of the aforementioned children, most of our dates are on our back porch after they’re in bed. We’re also best friends, as there is nobody with whom I’d rather spend time.
Writer: I believe that all writers write about their greatest fears. Want to know what frightens a writer? It’s all there on the page. As such, my most common themes are parents suffering the loss of a child and the digital world overtaking the tangible one. But, like every literary journal says, if you’d like to get to know what I’m into, read a sample of my work.
Professor: During the semesters I work every day, sometimes all day. But the breaks are definitely worth it. And some students are so far ahead of where I was as an undergrad it makes me giddy.
Exerciser: runner, biker, lifter, used-to-be marathoner. Would do more distance biking if it weren’t for 1) kids (that goes for most hobbies), and 2) Wisconsin weather.
Coffee/Gin/Whiskey: coffee twice a day every day (I can’t believe any writer, or any father, gets by with less); with the others, depends on the season. Gin summer, whiskey winter obviously. I also infuse tequila with jalapeño peppers, for which I can’t advocate enough.