Shalom, fellow traveler. Welcome to Dunebat Country, the official website and online gallery of works for the freelance artist/writer J.C. Bat, better known online as Dunebat (that’s me). Content will be updated whenever possible, typically on weekends. Pull up a chair. The morning wind’s coming in off the caliche plains and the coffee’s still hot.
If you’ve been here before, you’ll notice things look a little different. I’ve relaunched this website, having gone back through everything I’ve written before, keeping what was true to my voice, and cutting out what was just noise.
Who Am I?
I’m a Messianic anchorite and a scribe, scholar, and scribbler from West Texas — vast desert land flat to the edge of the world with dazzling night skies big enough to make you feel small and seen. I’m a follower of Yeshua (Jesus to the layperson) walking a long road back toward the Hebrew roots of the faith: following the edicts of the Torah, keeping the sacred feasts of Adonai (God), and ever awaiting the sound of the shofar. I’m a son, a griever, a traveler, a reader of old books, and a watcher of strange skies. I’m also a lover of nerds, geeks, Goths, creatives, & outcasts.
See the causes Dunebat supports.
What is Dunebat Country?
This website generally serves as my online journal and showcase for past and future works in various media, including writing, artwork, and photography. Dunebat Country is, in essence, a window to my soul. It’s a front porch, though, not a pulpit. I’m not here to preach; I’m here to inform and entertain. Learn more about the site.
I primarily write about three subjects:
- The Spiritual: I write about the sacred scriptures through a Judeo-Christian (or “Messianic”) lens.
- The Temporal: I also write about what I’ve experienced — places I’ve lived and been to, people I’ve loved and lost, and nights that taught me deep lessons.
- The Weird West: I also wax poetic about everything Fortean and folkloric, from bygone spirits to strange lights in the sky to the spirits and anything haunting the uncanny edges of everyday existence.
You’ll also find the occasional list of favorite movies, games, and TV shows or the occasional Star Trek tangent. I’m a simple man with simple pleasures.
Where Do I Start?
You can start with some of my personal favorite posts (not to sound narcissistic):
- Hungry Again
- Enduring the Dichotomy
- Philosophy of Falling Blocks
- The Cemetery House
- The Song of the Shofar
- Character Study: Vader
Wondering where I got the name “Dunebat?” You can read about The Origin of the Name Dunebat.
Wonder What’s Next?
I’ll be writing new posts — typically either essays or short stories — on a regular basis, though maybe not constantly. I’d rather write one honest and well-written thing a month than an empty “content” blurb per week.
Life is colored in a myriad of strange and dazzling hues, and they aren’t always in bright primary colors. Many times, life’s colors are dark, moody, and mysterious. That, in part, is the focus of Dunebat Country: observations and examinations of the darker, stranger aspects of life, journeys through the shadowy alleys and nocturnal vistas of human existence and examinations of the brilliant light that casts such deep shadows.
I invite you to take these journeys with me. If something I write meets you where you are, write me in the Comments section. Let’s shed a little light over the dunes. Here at Dunebat Country, nobody flies the dark desert skies alone.
Browse by section below: Essays & Journal · Fiction & Poetry · Reviews · Galleries
