Juxtapose: to place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

American Heritage Dictionary

Juxtaposition is one of those twenty dollar words Strunk and White caution writers not to use. But it's been one of my favorites ever since I witnessed a former boss of mine drop her jaw, widen her eyes and shout to her husband, "I love this woman! Do you know she just used the word juxtaposition! No one ever says that word!" She was about to hire me as her first employee for a new venture and my use of the word must have convinced her that I would be a great hire.

As a writer, I still love this word, not because anyone will drop their jaw when they read it but because it reflects my desires for what I write and for the readers of what I write. Whether I'm writing about what to do with excess Halloween candy or the ramifications of exempting Head Start programs from anti-discrimination laws, I want my writing to show reality next to empathy, facts next to advice and knowledge next to experience. By doing so, I'd like readers to discover something they didn't know or realize before they read my work.

I hope you'll browse this website and see what I mean.