John Richard Hall

https://johnrhall.com

John Richard Hall—soldier, magician, IT project manager, over-the-road truck driver, oil-field hand—has spent a lifetime in motion. In 2011, he walked away from a high-paying oil-field job over a question of personal honor, pulled his motorcycle out of storage, and rode coast to coast. The resulting memoir, Keep the Shiny Side Up: Riding Off Into the American Sunset, is a literary road memoir about the America that doesn't make the highlight reel—and what one man finds when he stops running from himself. Currently seeking representation.

Society

A Brief History of the American Dream

The American dream has always been illusory for huge swaths of her inhabitants. It’s like seeing some long-hoped-for oasis in the desert, wavering off...

Serendipity

Meeting John Malkovich

The title of this piece should be “Driving John Malkovich,” because yours truly did just that. It was surreal, to say the least, because it...

Religion

Postulating Pascal’s Wager While Simultaneously Rejecting It: “How Dare You!”

Pascal’s wager—believing in God because the potential rewards of doing so greatly outweigh the cost—is a simple bet. There are no odds to contemplate....

Society

The Homeless Epidemic Is Not an Experience

When I was a child, an elderly shop owner taught me a lesson on the power of words. He said to me, “Opinions are...

Society

Conflating Great Things with Being Great Caused Gnashing of My Teeth

It has finally dawned on me why, throughout my life, I have had dental problems that have resulted in me becoming—as Seinfeld’s Cosmo Kramer...

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John Richard Hall

John Richard Hall—soldier, magician, IT project manager, over-the-road truck driver, oil-field hand—has spent a lifetime in motion. In 2011, he walked away from a high-paying oil-field job over a question of personal honor, pulled his motorcycle out of storage, and rode coast to coast. The resulting memoir, Keep the Shiny Side Up: Riding Off Into the American Sunset, is a literary road memoir about the America that doesn't make the highlight reel—and what one man finds when he stops running from himself. Currently seeking representation.

Gonzo

The Gonzo Foundation

The Gonzo Foundation hosts political debates in conjunction with local Grassroots TV and after-school programs for area students. It contributes to University endowments to lighten the financial load of students going into the important profession of Journalism in a changing world. Although it's a small nonprofit, it is growing steadily with help from friends and those who loved the work of literature, journalism and the activism inspired by Hunter S. Thompson.

© 1958 - 2026 John Richard Hall