Writing

Soul Finds Words

This growing collection of short stories, poetry, and fiction will soon be a long-ranging representation of my lived experiences finding purpose and meaning through expression.

Also, if you love the images that accompany these stories, there is a very strong chance they’re available for purchase as one-of-a-kind canvas paintings, or as a digitized print.

A cup of coffee would go a long way if you enjoy these creations! (Nothing is free.)

CashApp = $BrandynRiver

My latest soul-fed creative writing:

  • White People Don’t Get To Respect Our Elders
    I feel for David Hogg right now. He’s been bullied with staggering cruelty and obscene disregard for the ways his elders have failed his whole generation…. The Carville generation better stop playin’ chicken with folks who’ve got nothin’ left to lose. We’re over it.
  • Kelsey Lou and James walking out of the Dickson Street Bookshop, where an unhoused man stands in the corner behind them leaning against the wall
    7 I, Too, Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
    Kelsey Lou had never heard a real romantic story in Ozarks vernacular English before. But here… James told this story of unintended, quintessential romance in their native tongue with all the heartfelt honesty of a young possum in a winter hen house. 
  • The Cross They Built For Booker To Bear
    I’ve been actively at odds with Democrats since 2015—despite many seasons since, of bending over and taking exactly what they tell me to, exactly how they tell me to, without lube most days; always chasing after the dangling carrot of human dignity they promise, promise, promise but never actually hand over. My beef today, as … Continue reading The Cross They Built For Booker To Bear
  • What’s Your Real Story?
    I’ve been thinking today about Milton Burke, AP Literature teacher at Fayetteville High School, in Arkansas. I had wanted so much to impress him; to receive his assurance that I was a good student; to earn an A in his class. But 4th hour was when the school resource officer always came to take me … Continue reading What’s Your Real Story?
  • Parts 3 & 4: What Do I Do Now? And, Aren’t the Democrats Gonna Do Something?
    I’ll begin by sharing my response to a friend, after she sent me the article linked here, “Call It what It Is – A Coup”: “Speaking the truth about what is happening is difficult and unpleasant. Hearing the truth is also difficult and unpleasant. But the longer we fail to recognize the current situation for … Continue reading Parts 3 & 4: What Do I Do Now? And, Aren’t the Democrats Gonna Do Something?
  • Part 2: What Is Going To Happen?
    Where there is uncertainty, there is opportunity to create a future you want.
  • New Year’s Resolution
    I’m not saying it’s all sunshine and roses…. I’m saying the grass is greener where you water it.
  • Part 1: How can God let this happen?
    Almost half the country is in fear for our lives, while remaining confused as to how so many of our own neighbors could vote for our deaths, especially while calling themselves pro-life. How can God be both moral and also allow this to happen?
  • Why Codeswitch?
    The past few months, I’ve had a number of folks comment on my vernacular. I’ve apparently started to forget which words only sound right to folks from ’round here.
  • What is a Good Blue?
    There are not words in your language To tell you how sometimes colors burn the skin, Fabrics speak louder than nonprofit leaders, and Odd numbers disrupt digestion.
  • Blue Pumpkins: Part 1
    I hate everything about this, Except the color blue Which is my favorite, But they didn’t even pick a good blue,
  • 6 Searching for Stories
    The mystical magic of the Ozarks takes Kelsey Lou for a strange ride as she goes on a quest for information to help her sister – and reckons with unexpected aspects of herself and her community along the way.
  • Hillbilly Hate: “Micro”aggressions, macro impact
    How do you expect anyone to believe your party supports bodily autonomy, freedom, and minding your own damn business when you’re punching down at JD Vance for reasons that have nothing to do with his policies and leadership decisions?
  • Céline Dion taught me how To Love You More
    But Céline Dion made an impact on my life that transcends performance, and it is more clearly visible in the 1997 performance below than the her solo tonight at the Olympics. Watching the old performance this evening, I wept.
  • Embracing Arkansas: A Journey of Love and Self-Discovery
    I know how to love Arkansas through this identity crisis, because like my own identity crisis, self-hatred doesn’t accurately represent who Arkansas is.
  • Chillbilly Elegy
    How many poems for the dead could have been dinners with the living, if my distant cousin hadn’t sold his soul for political power?
  • Green
    Weeks later, still reflecting on Rothko’s work and grateful to have been so deeply disturbed to action, I sat down to this canvas with only green paints to see what might happen if I painted a canvas with only one color. “Green” was the result….
  • Echinacea Reaching
    Grown in parallel with the echinacea flowers planted in my yard. As flowers explored the soil, reaching for sunlight, so too did I explore various effects of linseed oil on canvas, reaching for evocative sky and earth textures to give depth to my first-ever oil-based blossom after I broke free from the seed of acrylics.
  • Old Man in the Sea
    Old Man in the Sea Oil over acrylic. 16″x20″ stretched canvas.© May 1, 2024. Contact for pricing A five-word short story on canvas.
  • 5 Growing Seeds
    Kelsey Lou and sister Karly Lynn must team up to protect one another against the forces of Patriarchy encroaching on their garden, invading their home, and squashing their hopes for real romance – or their futures – to ever blossom.
  • 4 Class
    Kelsey Lou felt the weight of this truth, sittin’ beside Mr. Bybee smackin’ dip under his lip in American History. Even though he was asking for her homework, not sex, it felt the same. Fact was, she’d said no, and he wouldn’t take the answer she gave him.
  • 3 The Walk
    The Ozarks produced some of the finest, most inspiring folks theyd’ve ever met, just as it had also beaten and stripped them of their life’s potential in the same swift stroke of God’s paintbrush, the very moment God seen fit to place them in the U.S. South on the divine canvas of possibilities.
  • 2 Stretching in the Fog
    The morning air was foggy enough to see it wasn’t still, and still enough to not see anything at all beyond the cloud. Looking out the upstairs bedroom window, Kelsey Lou Faye tapped her fingers against her thigh without any particular rhythm. She knew the sun was up ‘cause the fog was gray instead of black, but there was no knowin’ how long now it’d be before Ma’d wake up and start makin’ the whole family wish they’d died in their sleep.
  • 1 A Romantic Story in Ozark Vernacular English
    “Well ain’t you pertty as a chrome skull on the hood of a Chevy drivin’ down a paved road,” Junior smiled as he took off his hat. Kelsey Lou Faye didn’t care for the dress her mama’d made for her. It waddn’t pretty like Dolly’s Coat of Many Colors. Kelsey Lou’s mama had stitched this dress with bitterness and spite — the kind that attracted the attention of good ol’ boys like Junior.
  • Diplomacy
    Once upon a time, I was invited to the table with a group of cisgender people from large NIH-funded organizations, who were voluntarily tasked with addressing transgender inclusion for their entire respective institutions. Another trans person was also invited, but after one meeting, she never returned. It was just me. Just one white guy without … Continue reading Diplomacy
  • On Forgiveness and Repentance
    Take a deep breath, dear reader. I recently wrote a post about childhood trauma. Now I’d like to share some reasons why: Because I’m committed to making the world a better place for the teenagers who are now going through what grown-ups spent my teenage years with their eyes closed, pretending couldn’t possibly be happening … Continue reading On Forgiveness and Repentance
  • Queer Camp 2022
    Camp was amazing. I am exhausted. The kids are alright. Last week, 85 queer, transgender, and queer-friendly teenagers filled the building of our little Arkansas church to share activities, laughter, tears, sweat, creativity, and passion together. I was a “parental”, or what most folks would call a camp counselor. Spending the whole week with other … Continue reading Queer Camp 2022
  • Love in a Time of Fear, part 2
    Expecting a partner to respect me as a full human with equal rights is really the bare minimum. It’s just a bare minimum most men in the United States don’t live up to.
  • Love in a Time of Fear, part 1
    Times have been hard lately. I lost my relationship with my mother — or perhaps I’m just now accepting that I never had a real relationship with her to begin with. Her full participation in my life was always contingent on my pretending to be someone I’m not. She never wanted the queer, polyamorous, democratic … Continue reading Love in a Time of Fear, part 1
  • “Why you gotta make it about being white?”
    If you have never read The Prophets by Robert Jones, Jr., fix that today, please. I particularly recommend the audiobook edition. Karen Chilton knocks the narration performance all the way out of the park. Plus, there’s this one little detail white folks (like me) don’t like to admit: The book is written beyond our literacy … Continue reading “Why you gotta make it about being white?”
  • Truth No. 2: On the 2016 Election
    CW: child abuse & CSA // Every link here is a song. Enjoy. My parents ran against one another for President in 2016. I could see as soon as my mother became the Democratic nominee that the whole country was bound to lose, no matter who won. As a child I was told, “If anyone … Continue reading Truth No. 2: On the 2016 Election
  • “We’ve Invited the People of Color. Where Are They?”
    I believe that transparency is fundamental to Democracy, and fundamental to healthy community building. I hope the organizations who’ve inspired this post will share this belief, as it forms the basis upon which I write the following in a spirit of goodwill and community healing: Last night I attended my first-ever local Democrats meeting. I’d … Continue reading “We’ve Invited the People of Color. Where Are They?”
  • On Democracy and Our Humanity
    For the first time, I’ve gotten involved in a political campaign. Two of them. I’m learning things about the way our “democracy” is systematically structured against democracy though. Can we talk about what I’m seeing? Observation #1: Non-profits are not allowed to support any political candidate. Observation #2: Many cities and towns prohibit political candidates … Continue reading On Democracy and Our Humanity
  • On Father’s Day and Juneteenth
    Father’s Day has been weird for me since I was 4 years old. That it falls on Juneteenth this year gives the weirdness a uniquely ironic twist. I don’t have to worry about what I say in a Facebook post because my father already blocked me — or did I block him, this time? We’ve … Continue reading On Father’s Day and Juneteenth
  • What’s In a Name?
    On the first day of sixth grade, my math teacher proved himself a heretic by suggesting that we arrange our seating chart in alphabetical order according to first name rather than last. For years we’d been sitting next to the same students in every class, every day. This man was a hero. Taught us what … Continue reading What’s In a Name?
  • Service Made Visible: My Dog is a Radical Revolutionary
    This is Max. Max is a Service Dog. He’s still in training, and I’m responsible for training him. He’s learning quicker than I expected. He’s been “at work” two days now. He was originally rescued in March, after his abusers decided he was a “bad dog” who wouldn’t listen or behave. He was afraid of … Continue reading Service Made Visible: My Dog is a Radical Revolutionary
  • Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day, National Coming Out Day, and Shiny New Certificate Day.
    Both Indigenous Peoples’ Day and National Coming Out Day are dear to my heart. At 14, I first “came out” in Arkansas where my self-extraction from the closet of Evanglical authoritarianism was not welcome. I called myself a lesbian, because I knew I wasn’t straight. Then I kept dating boys in high school who usually … Continue reading Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day, National Coming Out Day, and Shiny New Certificate Day.
  • Redneck Solidarity: Black lives matter!
    Redneck Solidarity
    1999: I was 11 years old, and the Dixie Chicks‘ opening act was Ricky Skaggs. I already owned his album ‘Soldier of the Cross’, but apparently the rest of my generation didn’t know him so well. The Chicks came out on stage while everyone was bustling about for t-shirts and snacks, and commanded our attention. … Continue reading Redneck Solidarity
  • Transcending Barriers for Safer Pleasure: A Publication for Transgender Women
    This booklet was authored by Brandyn Gallagher in collaboration with Project Inform to provide the most up-to-date, science-based information available for transfeminine people at the time of publication in March 2016. To learn more about PrEP, advancements in HIV prevention, and options for protecting your health and wellness, please ask your physician or visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/PrEPFacts/ … Continue reading Transcending Barriers for Safer Pleasure: A Publication for Transgender Women
  • Is Taking PrEP the Right Choice for You?
    Brandyn Gallagher edited this booklet in collaboration with David Evans of Project Inform, updating an older version written for MSM so the writing is trans-inclusive as of January 2016. The scientific evidence upon which this writing is based was the most up-to-date available at the time of publication. To learn more about PrEP, advancements in … Continue reading Is Taking PrEP the Right Choice for You?
  • Will the AMP Study Set the Standard for Transgender Inclusion in HIV Prevention Research?
    This November, the AMP Study (also known as HVTN 703/HPTN 081) will bring a fresh approach to HIV prevention research. The Phase 2B study is inspired by vaccine research, which seeks to arm the immune system to resist HIV infection — but it skips a step by directly giving HIV-negative people antibodies rather than using … Continue reading Will the AMP Study Set the Standard for Transgender Inclusion in HIV Prevention Research?
  • Where do I fit in? PrEP and Transgender Men
    View original publication on BetaBlog.org When I read results from clinical trials about PrEP—or other HIV prevention tools or strategies for that matter—I’m often left wondering: Where do I fit in? There aren’t guidelines about Truvada-based PrEP use for transgender men who have sex with men because there haven’t been any studies specifically looking at … Continue reading Where do I fit in? PrEP and Transgender Men
  • OP-ED: WHY I IDENTIFY AS A FAGGOT
    View original publication on HIV Equal In my younger years, I was called a faggot. I did not consent to this. A kid in gym class swung a three-foot metal pole at my head, and the teacher didn’t care when I reported being bullied. I grew older and connected with mentors who’ve since passed on … Continue reading OP-ED: WHY I IDENTIFY AS A FAGGOT
  • TRANS MEN: THE INVISIBLE BATTLE WITH HIV
    View at HIV Equal So there I was, sitting in a room full of the world’s top HIV researchers, uncomfortably under-dressed in my Mr. Friendly t-shirt but not letting that stop me from asking the question I need answered. “Dr. Molina, in your study on intermittent PrEP dosing among men who have sex with men … Continue reading TRANS MEN: THE INVISIBLE BATTLE WITH HIV
  • On Service, Attachment, and Being in Love with Life
    I was not merely cleaning an oven; I was improving the world. I was making life easier and more relaxed for someone about whom I care deeply. I was accomplishing, creating something with my own hands, the results of which indicate to me a successful undertaking in life. I was finding meaning in my existence. That’s what I was doing.