About Captain Holly
To Adventure!
A native Wisconsinite and science-fictioneer, I grew up in the country in rural Milton, reading copious amounts of Jules Verne. A traditional fellow, I harbour a deep adoration for traditional family and the lost culture of high Western values. I went to college for writing and hold an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. For seven years, I taught courses in writing, logic, and moral reasoning for the University of Wisconsin, laboured and preached at Living Word Fellowship in Whitewater for three years, and founded Axis Academy from those experiences to better equip people to reason, write, and build a future on classical values and competencies.
​Currently, Whitewater is our home in my beloved Wisconsin, where I live with my wife, the joy of my days, Elizabeth. Together we have three radiant daughters, and Shackleton, our border collie. We classically educate our girls and are always active in homeschool communities. Much of our free time goes to mentoring former students or young adults in our church into a traditional lifestyle, or sometimes I just teach them to be handy or to love good books. We talk often of Tolkien and Herbert, discuss theology and culture, complain about taxes, and watch Star Trek together.
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Some of my greatest influences in my academic, theological, and literary life are Chesterton and Edwards and Spurgeon, but surprisingly, so are Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, men who spoke the language I understand best, and inspired me to teach the Hero's Journey and classical archetypes, and to love the vaults of Western heritage within good storytelling.
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Heritage is our mainstay, and the heart of our life together, and what we try to teach and pass on, a heritage of faith, family, and fellowship.​​
MILD OBSESSIONS INCLUDE:
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​Time Pieces
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Telescopes
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Fine Hats
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Cartography
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Safari Jackets
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19th Century Firearms
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Fencing Swords
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Messenger Bags
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Lighthouses
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Seaplanes & Flying Boats
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Sailing Ships
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All Things Maritime
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The Northwest Passage
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American Steam Railroads
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Antique Astronomy
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Paranormal Stories
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Whales & the Like
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Poems of Kipling & Whittier​
​When not working, writing, or indulging in my beloved family, you'll usually find me in the garage, building some unnecessary piece of furniture that I'll probably upgrade in six weeks or so anyway, illustrating some concept art for a book I may or may not ever write, or fiddling with the antiques on my desk to make sure they're aligned properly, though I'll never dust them. Sometimes I'll play a video game of an evening or read a favourite for the hundredth time ... oh, and sometimes play with my Star Trek ships when nobody's looking. ​​