This is Shinnformation Station! My name is Joshua Shinn, and, yes, I named this place Shinn + Information + Station = Shinnformation Station. I admit is sounds like some children’s programming similar to Captain Kangaroo or Reading Rainbow, but for reasons unknown, the name tickles me to no end. It scratches some happy itch in my brain and makes me smile, and that’s what matters, so I went with what I love.

For the longest time I have wanted to create a hub for stories, mental exploration, lessons learned, and memories made, especially since I am growing older and many of my stories are getting further in the rearview mirror– and what better place than a station? Station has multiple meanings. One meaning is “channel,” which this is; one meaning is “position” or “situation,” which there is some of that here, too, since I will share my perspectives on any number of subjects and experiences; but the meaning that is preeminent here is “depot,” like a train station. My late father, Kermit Shinn, used to work for Union Pacific Railroad in Kansas City, so I have always loved trains. They represent for me, my father, but trains also represent the American spirit, industry, adventure, and freedom. Shinnformation Station, then, represents a blend of nostalgia, introspection, and discovery.

This is a place where I get to write precisely how I desire. I’ve been told by many I should publish– poems, articles, essays, even books. I’ve dabbled, but never fully pursued it. I’ve been offered contracts (I’ve had one unsigned in my file cabinet for years), but I never committed. Insecurity admittedly slows me, but passion is what really stops me. My words and ideas are my own. Publishers don’t want my words or ideas; they want their version of my words and ideas, the ones they believe will sell. I want none of that. The only time I’ve ever sold is when the words were wholly mine.

The words here will be wholly mine. I’m working to collect my previous writing and experiences, hoping to preserve the best of myself and my wife for our children. A child craves nothing more than a parent’s presence, especially when they are gone. So when that day comes, my hope is that this will serve as a portrait of who we were beyond what photos and videos capture. Images may record moments, but they don’t reveal our depth of character, thought, and emotion the way words can. Words alone hold the unique quality of conveying essence. It’s why God gave Himself to us in words. Thanks for stopping by.

Sincerely,

Joshua Shinn, writer, reader, hiker, husband, father, friend