My name you know, but perhaps the rest you don’t.
This blog traces it’s birth back to a DiaryLand journal that was started by yours truly in 2001. It has lived at RyanSutter.net since 2004. On this blog I write about whatever I feel like, but common topics are religion, free thought, food, books, music, computers, and politics.
A little about me:
Born into a Jehovah’s Witness family and raised in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, I spent the first 30 years of my life as a Witness. In 1994, newly married to my high school girlfriend, I finished vocational college and began the career as a software developer (or “computer geek”) that I continue to this day. As a geek, I’ve worked in a number of mind-numbingly boring industries writing code in a language called Java. I’ve also been a contributing author on half a dozen books about the same subject, at least one of which was translated into multiple languages. I’ve never made the New York Times best seller list.
I have a son from my first marriage, Syd, and I’m married to a lovely young lady named Esther. We live in a house built in 1876, the year Rutherford B. Hayes became president (note: he wasn’t sworn in until March 1877, but he won the election in 1876 and that’s what counts to me so nyah nyah, James), the telephone was patented, the Dewey decimal system was invented, baseball’s National League was formed, Tom Sawyer was published, the Jesse James gang was defeated, the four-stroke engine was invented, Budweiser first went on sale, Custer lost the Battle of Little Big Horn, and the first transcontinental express train went from New York to San Francisco in 83 hours and 39 minutes.
I’m an independent recording artist and performing musician, which I’ve done most of my life. I’ve recorded multiple solo albums and performed with a number of bands and artists. I was a founding member (along with my deceased brother Rhett) of The Lavone, Purple Triangles and The Frog. In the last few years I’ve lead the band Trumpet Marine, played live as a member of Cindy Ivy’s backing group, performed solo shows in the Twin Cities area, and generally had fun. My surviving siblings are also rather musical. My younger brother Reed and sister Robbie are members of area musical collective Akai, and have also been involved with such acts as Kloey, Pop Riveter, Daytrip, SP3! and others. It’s a family thing.
In 2004 I experienced a de-conversion process from my old Witness religion and started a life of free thought and free thought advocacy. I went from Christian fundamentalist to atheist, humanist, and Buddhist practitioner, and I’ve blogged extensively on this subject. As an advocate I’ve also volunteered my efforts towards Minnesota’s three leading free thought organizations as a member of the editorial board for MN Atheists, the webmaster for Humanists of MN, and a member of the board of directors for the local chapter of Camp Quest, as well as making numerous media appearances and founding and overseeing the XJWNet social network for former recovering former Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I have multiple literary projects underway and intend to be publishing a book or two in the near future. In the meantime, there’s this blog. Take from it what you will and thanks for reading.
More From Ryan Sutter
- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Blog
- about my musical history and influences
- It’s Charles Darwin’s Birthday
- Yesterday and Today
- this morning I met Campbell
