Where am I? What is this?
Hello!
My name is Dylan Taylor-Lehman, and I am a nonfiction writer whose goal is to tell compelling true stories that do justice to the experience, history, and impact of the people or topic I’m writing about. I particularly like longform journalism and narrative nonfiction, and most of the work you’ll find here is of that variety.
My writing has been published in a number of venues online and in print, and I am a longtime contributor to Narratively, a respected online magazine with a ton of amazing true stories. I was lucky enough to work as a reporter for newspapers in Ohio and New Mexico, which were hugely formative experiences to me as a writer and a human being.
I’ve been able to parlay my tendency to write lengthy articles into writing even lengthier books, including Dance of the Trustees: On the Astonishing Concerns of a Small Ohio Township (2018), Sealand: the True Story of the World’s Most Stubborn Micronation and its Eccentric Royal Family (2020), and Going Rackless: Chicago’s Amateur Pool Players and the Quest for Glory at the Biggest Tournament in the World (2025).
Please feel free to get in touch about anything I’ve written or with a story I should look into! Additionally, I’m always open to freelancing opportunities and helping you to ghostwrite or coauthor a book you have in mind.
In general, I love cats, I love tubing, I love to travel, I love the most stridulous of death metal, and I love being outside.
I can be reached at theyawningchasm [at] gmail [dot] com.
Thank you so much for your interest in my work!
The Yawning Chasm 
Dylan…
Just added this site to my favorites, and I will get some reading done soon. Just “sampled” “Kingsport, TN.” Looks really good. Can’t wait to finish. I want to wait util I have time to savor it. Keep the pen moving.
It was wonderful to find your article on the Muskingum locks this morning. It is part of our childhood, and also of a book I’m writing. We lived in the Locktender’s house in Stockport from 1949 to 1951, and in the newer Locktender’s house in McConnelsville in the early 1950s. I have historic photos, which I can send if you have email…. my WordPress site is: https://georgerstewart.wordpress.com/
I may well do a post about your fine article – George R. Stewart was born in Sewickley PA and spent his boyhood in Indiana PA; he also wrote US 40, which has a few sections near and around Zanesville.
Again, many thanks.
Don Scott, GRS Biographer and Muskingum Boy
Thanks for the kind words! Zanesville is a really beautiful and interesting place!
And yeah, please feel free to send me some stuff, and I’ll make sure to check out your site! The more I learn about this era of Ohio’s history, the more I want to know!