A: I remember the very moment: I was driving down the freeway in my hometown in Texas one fall evening in 1980. A rock song came on the radio and the DJ said, "It’s 11:11." For some reason, my eyes fell to the icy blue digital numbers on the car’s dash radio for confirmation. Four pillars stared me in the face. That did it. I was hooked. It was all I could do to tear my eyes away from the clock and put them back on the road where they belonged.

Q: And after that?

A: I saw 11:11 [pronounces it "eleven-eleven"] everywhere. If it were just numbers on clocks, well, I might say that my mind had affixed itself to some visual pattern. But no. Even today, over twenty years later, I’ll go to the grocery store and purchase several items and the total will be 11 dollars and 11 cents. I can’t tell you how often that’s happened to me. Or my change will be 11.11. Or at the end of the day, I’ll find myself with 11 dollars in my wallet and eleven cents in my pocket. And while we’re talking grocery stores, how about this: sometimes I’ll come home and the expiration date on several of my canned goods will be 11/11! Or I’ll email an important letter to someone and without intending to do so, zing it off at exactly 11:11.

Q: That’s crazy!

A: But true. All too true. Try this on for size: I was part of a small team that spent over two years radically revising the undergraduate and graduate English curriculums at my university. There were countless brainstorming sessions, writing pow-wows and committee meetings but at long last, we were down to one final meeting with one final committee. This group had to approve the programs before we could implement them. Over two years in the making, mind you. Can you guess the actual time that the final vote was cast to green-light the programs? You’d be right if you answered 11:11. I checked my watch and was stunned.

Q: So it seems to me that you’re alluding to a supernatural connection to the phenomenon. Is that correct?

A: Well, not exactly, although I don’t think that you can completely dismiss that possibility. On the other hand, if you define supernatural as an event or phenomenon that goes beyond that which has been determined to be a regular and natural part of everyday existence, then I’m more comfortable associating the term with 11:11. After all, I do find it somewhat perplexing that this sequence of numbers seems to find its way into my day-to-day affairs far more often than any other pattern.

Q: Is it true that you’ve found many others that are also intrigued by 11:11?

A: [Laughs] Oh, you better believe it. Rest assured, the gang that comprises MOJO – Emily, JJ, Heather and I – isn’t the only group that is being "haunted" (laughs again) by the numbers 11 [pronounces it "eleven"], 111 ["one-eleven"] and 11:11 ["eleven-eleven"]. I can’t tell you the number of people that have been floored when we get into discussions of the quirky and they reluctantly reveal the 11:11 pattern that they’ve seen for years – only to discover that I’m similarly afflicted! It’s very bizarre. Hey, JJ and I were best friends for years until one late-night conversation led us to discover that we had both seen 11:11 for years. Mind you, JJ grew up in New England and I did my stretching in South Texas. In some ways, we couldn’t be more different, in others we’re very much alike. Still, we didn’t know just how similar we were until we shared our 11:11 stories with each other.

Q: Bottom line: what does 11:11 mean to you?

A: Fair enough. Here goes: I can sit here and dwell on the bizarre dimensions that seem to be associated with the numbers. Some people even dwell on the negative aspects of the phenomenon, but ultimately, for me they are a springboard to creativity. I’m a teacher, a writer and a critic. 11, 111, and 11:11 have fueled my imagination and enriched my stories. 11:11 gave birth to the book project and MOJO. In so doing, the numbers further solidified my friendship with my fellow book writers. For me, the positive far outweighs the negative. I hope 11:11 continues to motivate me and fuel my creativity.