About the Author



For a very long time, I was a pianist, singer, opera coach, chorus master, and occasional conductor. (See "A Musician's Life" above.)

Then, for too short a time, I was a novice in a Catholic monastery. (See "Monastic Vocation Story" above.)

Now, at last, I'm indulging my life-long passion for words. My poetry has appeared in print journals in the US, the UK, and Canada, as well as online poetry journals and websites.

I've kept a journal since the eighth grade, which means I've kept one for—oh, no, you don't. I'm not divulging my age. (My journal in its entirety is on another, private, blog. However, I have included many excerpts on this public blog.)

I remain an avid lover of music, especially classical piano repertoire, and am unashamedly addicted to Frasier. (See "Niles Crane's Greatest Lines" above.)

Currently, besides the poetry thing, I serve as organist and cantor in a small chapel in a retirement village run by Catholic sisters.

I'm also a caregiver, a privilege I have been blessed with since departing the monastery in 2006.

I'm the kind of person who reads the same books and watches the same films again and again. (If you're curious as to which books and films, see my lists in the left sidebar.)

I also make books by hand and have been known to draw the occasional pencil/charcoal portrait.

I could eat pasta in just about any preparation (senza mushrooms, however) every single day of my life, I love it that much. Also, though it's not something I'm necessarily proud of, I can eat an entire bag of Cape Cod Reduced Fat Potato Chips in one sitting.