Spencer Richard

About The Author

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5 things about me:

  1. I was an intern journalist for The Hinton Parklander (2009-2010) because I walked into their downtown office and said something like, “Please let me write for free, I don’t have the confidence to ask for money and I’m very impressionable.” My stint there involved taking two photos that made it to the front page of the paper and I conducted several interviews for more serious articles. As well I wrote a reoccurring column called, and this wasn’t my creative decision: “Spenny’s Spin”.
  2. I have performed music in front of people, once winning a talent show and another time performing in the Opening Ceremonies of the Alberta Winter Games (2006). This is back when I was 16 years old. Additionally I was awarded “Best Original Composition” two years in a row for the Yellowhead Rotary Arts Festival (2006-07). Currently I am working on making YouTube videos to demonstrate some of my more recent projects, but in addition to them you can find the music video I did with Black Road Records (2013) here.
  3. I studied psychology at the University of the Fraser Valley in Chilliwack, BC—but officially I transferred to the University of Alberta to change it up and pursue a degree in English. Ever since this article however, I realized how much time I was wasting, subsequently quit school, and started doing things I loved. I now work as a manager of a book store and my life is awesome!
  4. I’m the third born son of the third born son of the third born son. I have three brothers (two older, one younger) and I grew up in small town Alberta. Now I live in Edmonton, AB, but I still return home with some frequency to visit my parents and Grandma—not to mention my in-laws!
  5. In October, 2013 I married an amazing woman and almost exactly one year later I became a father. This is because of an important Biology lesson I skipped back in high school. That being said, our daughter is a joy and we love each other more every day because of her. Expect more of my posts to drift into the family territory for this reason.

5 things I believe:

  1. That stories are the foundation of human existence. Without stories we would not learn, try new things, live with purpose, love others, feel empathy, relate our own experience, or anything else important you can think of. Stories bring us together and without them we are nothing but animals who are sometimes good at math.
  2. That reading stories is good for the soul. It invokes our imaginations to rise forth like no other art form. Yes, music is heavenly and it certainly moves us without the need for silly words, but reading is deeply healing because it sets loose the mind as well as the heart. Reading gives you wings that can take you anywhere—it allows you into the mind of another like no other medium in the history of the world.
  3. That unless a story is making you think or feel something very deeply, it probably isn’t a very good story. Stories are meant to move you—not through physical space, but spiritually. Stories are what move our hearts. Sometimes they lighten them with a laugh, sometimes they make them heavy with sorrow, and sometimes they merely embrace us. All of this is good to experience in life in order for us to be healthy and happy.
  4. That big philosophic questions only matter if the answer to the question might effect how I live my life. You will not see my characters bicker over whether or not there is a seventh or eighth dimension, and you won’t hear a song of mine about the complexities of breakfast cereal. I write about things that actually matter to my life. Whether or not there is a seventh dimension has no bearing on what to do on a Friday night or how ought to raise my children.
  5. That a song is only great if it fits these three criteria: I) that it is musically catchy to the ear, II) that the singer/musician demonstrates some sort of finesse with their voice/instruments, and III) that the song has consistency and is actually about something (again) that matters. When I write songs I try my best to accomplish these three things. Whether I do or not is up to you.