My Ode to Joe

It’s been a minute since I’ve dedicated myself fully to my creative craft. Life gets in the way sometimes, but then it takes a jolt - something to wake you up, and ask: Why am I here?

Whenever I asked Joe McGee the purpose question, he was so certain. So focused. So real.

So much so, he’d even answer that question for me. “You’re an artist,” he’d say.

Therefore, this website and creative reboot are for you, my friend. I just hope I’m a quarter as fearless and talented as you and your incredible wife, Jess.

(Read at Joe McGee’s Memorial Service at Rowan University on May 2nd, 2026.)

I was lucky enough to work closely with Joe McGee for many years, share an office, and call him a friend. We laughed a lot, and I am reading off my iPad Pro today because of Joe. We spent a lot of time sharing our iPad creations during faculty meetings.

Many of you know Joe as a colleague and an incredibly talented author, artist, and storyteller who inspired countless people. We’ll hear a lot about that today. And he certainly was, but what made Joe unique to me was his heart.

When I called him to tell him that the Rowan University Writing Arts Second Act Award was being named in his honor, I expected him to be thankful, but I didn’t expect him to become overcome with emotion. He told me it was one of the greatest honors of his life.

I also witnessed this incredible heart through his interactions with his students, his relentless dedication to his life purpose, and his selfless, heart-filled texts asking about a sick family member two weeks before his passing.

In 2015, my family and I attended Joe’s Peanut Butter and Brains signing at the Deptford Barnes and Noble, not knowing at the time that he would pass exactly ten years later. He was so joyful that day, and it is how I would like to remember him. Smiling and signing books with the line – Use your brain, follow your heart. The perfect sentence that encompasses Joe’s life, a life well lived.

If you haven’t already, please check out Joe’s amazing collection of children’s books here.