As most regular readers of the StarNews know, I’ve been in Wilmington for a long time.

I grew up here, as did my parents, and I’ve worked at the StarNews full-time since 2004. Before that, I was at the Wilmington alt-weekly Encore Magazine for several years.

For most of my career I’ve covered arts and entertainment, which I still do, but in recent years my beat has expanded to include the film industry, local history and pretty much anything having to do with the culture of Southeastern North Carolina.

Here’s a little bit more about me and my job, and some questions I’ve been asked more than once over the years.

What’s the best play/concert/movie you’ve ever seen?

People ask me this all the time, but somehow, I never see the question coming and draw a blank. Not this time!

Limiting my answer to Wilmington, I’d say that in terms of theater it’s hard to beat the days, circa 2010, when Tony-winning actress Linda Lavin of TV’s “Alice” was living in town and doing shows at the Red Barn, the theater she ran with her huband, Steve Bakunas. Being able to see a world-class actress perform regularly in a 50-seat space was just an absolute gift.

The first time I saw the Grammy-winning singer and musician Rhiannon Giddens was in the mid-2000s. She was with her old string band, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, doing a free show for students, staff and a few lucky folks like me at the old Snipes Elementary School auditorium (before it was torn down and rebuilt). Her performance was a revelation. Success is never a given but with talent like that it was almost inevitable.

The most viscerally affected I’ve been by a movie, and not necessarily in a good way, was probably “Twentynine Palms” at the Cucalorus Film Festival, early 2000s. Check it out, but you’ve been warned!

Can you write about my event?

Can I? Absolutely. Will I? Most likely!

Seriously, I like knowing what’s going on around town, and more is always better. Don’t hesitate to send me an email about anything you or folks you know have going on. I might not be able to do a full story or an extensive feature, but I put together an extensive and well-read list of Wilmington happenings each week, and chances are I can get your event in there if nothing else.

What do you think about how much Wilmington has changed?

The short answer is, I miss some things (not all) about how Wilmington used to be, but I’m also excited to see this formerly sleepy small town turn into a bustling little city. Sometimes, I wish I could revisit Wilmington of the 1970s or ’80s, “Back to the Future” style, but life doesn’t work like that. For the most part, in my opinion, the good things about growth outweigh the bad.

The Wilmington I grew up in, and the one my parents grew up in, is long gone and not coming back. And that’s OK. The fact is, there are way more kids growing up here right now than there ever have been in the past, and I can’t wait to see the ways in which the next generation defines what being “from Wilmington” means in coming decades.