Chris 'CML' Morris-Lent is an independent writer and screenwriter based in Los Angeles. His work focuses on gaming, esports, and the dark side of the tech industry.
@AlSwearEngine
cml@cmlwrites.com
206.551.7843"Bringing Irony to Print and the Internet."
"...an earthy, crunchy intellectual." —Donnie Wahlberg
"...like an article on how Popeye's gives me diarrhea. Knowing won't stop me!" —Andy Richter
"Love him or hate him, CML will make you feel." —Travis "Wizard" Woo
Whether breaking into Google’s cafeteria for an undercover scoop and crêpe, winning a Magic: the Gathering tournament in a uniquely altered state, or getting berated on the radio for peeing sitting down, CML’s work always provokes and resonates. With extensive experience in gaming and esports, and a long-term commitment to exposing the tech industry and gentrification in the New Seattle, he has been uniquely successful at bridging the gap between subcultural writing and mainstream writing on subcultures, delighting experts and generalists alike.
By eschewing journalistic shallowness and any pretense of objectivity, CML’s work brings a sense of self and a sense of humor to both print and Internet publications, exciting and refreshing audiences who love to have their views challenged and judgment engaged. His unique voice, well-suited for everything from cultural criticism to gonzo features to books, has come to be recognized for its perspective and persistence.
CML has written nationally for Gawker, Kotaku, The Daily Dot, and more. Locally, his work appears in the Seattle Times, Seattle Weekly, CrossCut, and The Stranger. His first book, A Brief History of Magic Cards, is an illustrated romp through modern gaming’s oldest, most influential, and most mysterious franchise, revealing "everything [you] didn’t know [you] needed to know about Magic" (Austin Powell, Daily Dot). Available now online (as an epub and print book) and at select local game stores.
// RECENT WORK
How Amazon Swallowed Seattle (Gawker)
‘App-artheid’ and Gluttony at Google’s Delicious, Nauseating New Kirkland Cafeteria (Seattle Weekly)
Hasbro is Trying to Make Magic into an esport. Can it succeed? (Daily Dot)
A Journey into Seattle's Flipping Rad Pinball Scene (Seattle Weekly)
Jonathan Franzen's Purity Is an Irrelevant Piece of Shit (Gawker)
Sports Vs. esports, According To A Lawyer (Kotaku)
// APPEARANCES
Dis(cuss)ing Amazon on Seattle's KUOW
Interviewed by Jenny McCarthy on Dirty, Sexy, Funny
Interviewed on Sirius XM for The All Out Show
Speaking about A Brief History of Magic Cards with Travis Woo.
Speaking about A Brief History of Magic Cards on Kitchen Table Magic.
// MORE WRITING
I Won a $5,000 Magic: The Gathering Tournament on Shrooms (Gawker)
Why I Pee Sitting Down (Gawker)
How the Internet Causes Depression (Gawker)
Is 'Floating' a Symptom of, or Cure for, the Ills of New Seattle? (Seattle Weekly)
An Oral History of Seattle's Graffiti Scene in 2016 (Seattle Weekly)
UW Trump Rally Draws 50 Protesters, 20 Cops, "Maybe Seven to Eight" Supporters, Zero Ideas (Seattle Weekly)
The UW Trump Movement Is a Perfect Microcosm of the Donald’s Ridiculous Campaign (Seattle Weekly)
Behind the Site Collecting Anonymous Amazon 'Horror Stories' (Daily Dot)
A Decade After The Game, the Original Pick-Up Artist Comes Clean (Daily Dot)
Jonathan Safran Foer Is Blind, Deaf, and Dumb (Gawker)
Everything you need to know about Magic: the Gathering (Daily Dot)
The surprising history of the Magic Pro Tour (Daily Dot)
The late, legendary fantasy artist behind some of Magic: the Gathering's most iconic cards (Daily Dot)
The Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour sucks (Team Legends Tech)
Author Umberto Eco Plots ... What, Exactly? (Gawker)
How 'Good' High Schools Can Be So Bad (Seattle Times)