Episode 12: Alan Abrams – Writing, Architecture, and the Power of Positivity
In this episode of The Bearly Audible Podcast, hosts Justin and Bearz sit down with the multi-talented Alan Abrams—writer, publisher, architect, and seasoned traveler—for a fascinating conversation that blends creativity, philosophy, and personal journey.
Alan shares the unexpected detour that led him from a planned move to Alaska to an immersive six-year stay in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He opens up about his passion for architecture, his approach to writing, and the inspiration behind his latest venture, Sligo Creek Publishing—a business he humorously calls a "mistake."
Together, the trio explores deep and timely topics, from the importance of the First Amendment to the ways we can counteract war, fear and negativity by fostering love and joy. It's a thought-provoking discussion with a true renaissance man—filled with wisdom and wit.
Come for the conversation, stay for the KFC. As with tasty chicken and mashed potatoes, you’ll be left wanting more!
Alan Abrams
b. Aug. 22, 1949, Washington, DC
Without dwelling on the sordid details, his first 12 years of adulthood was characterized by rebelliousness, foolishness, and bad luck. Like Jonah, he fled from the damage he caused and the responsibilities he should have assumed. This took him–on a cobbled together motorcycle–to New Mexico, where he acquired a solid background in construction methods and materials. It was there in the Espanola Valley that he designed and built–almost completely by himself–his first house.
With new self confidence and a sense of mastery of the man-made world, he returned to his home town. He made amends with his family, and re-adopted the daughter he had abandoned.
He also made a promising marriage, launched a contracting business, and bought a tiny bungalow on a quiet tree lined lane. For the next twenty five years he worked in construction–initially, with his hands, but as his experience and knowledge continued to accumulate–with others’ hands. He designed his own projects, falling in love with the study and practice of architecture. He did his best to not let his lack of credentials and formal training hold him back.
Through all this time he read widely. He wrote an occasional book review for his professional association, or news feature for the local monthly. Once in a while a poem sprang from his keyboard. But his marriage was failing.
In 2004 he began designing a new house for a local couple. The husband was not invested in the project, but he worked closely with the wife for a year. By the time the house was complete, two marriages collapsed.
It was then he began to write more deliberately. It was a way of sorting out the chaos of his young adulthood. He worked in all genres, from poetry, to screenplays, to prose that danced between fiction and memoir. Some of these pieces were published in journals and anthologies, whetting his appetite for greater success. During the summer of 2024, he launched the Sligo Creek Publishing Co., which has already produced four collections of poetry and short stories, plus another that is in the final stages of editing.
