Hi! I’m Tom Becker, and I write…

where I fuse towns, characters, and curiosities because that’s what I love to do!

I’m a generalist, raised in a small Pennsylvania town now living in a small Pennsylvania city, cursed with an interest in just about everything and the willingness to talk to just about anyone.

A background in visual arts, a natural sponge of my physical location, and a trigger-happy sense of humor have created in me a longing to codify this wonderful life.

And I really love smaller places, unsung faces, and traces of the weird.

Here’s a good sample of what you’ll get with Town Character:

Town Character

Stood Up in Yakima

Julie and Don could be Pennsylvania Dutch: modest, industrious, and uber-connected within their town. She played in the symphony and teaches music lessons to children, just like my next door neighbor Lorie used to do for my kids and just like my daughter Hannah now does fo…

Read more

a year ago · 1 like · Tom Becker

I studied speech at Bloombsurg University and earned my Master of Divinity at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Vocationally, I’ve found my way into curating which gives me the opportunity to show off people, ideas, and movements in our society that embody goodness, beauty, and truth.

Before founding The Row House Forum in Lancaster, PA, I served as a liberal arts instructor and campus minister.

I’m a Christian, grateful church member (Wheatland Presbyterian), and husband to Becky since 1985.

We have five grown children, three of them married, four of them in Philadelphia, and one in Denver. Two grand kids so far.

I can usually be found in and around Lancaster City, PA on two wheels or with my Border collie mix, Rue.