A BRIEF BIO
My life as an artist began early as a child actor and ended up as a writer. Along the way other arts became involved: painting, photography, and music. So far I've been a church pianist, herbalist, editor, coach, gardener, and library technician. I hope to host many other identities before the run is over. I have been writing poems for 60 years. Sometime in the 90s, I decided to take it seriously and studied for several decades at The Writer’s Center of Bethesda followed by a few more years at Politics and Prose, the notable D.C. bookstore and literary hub. I continue to take classes from time to time. Among my many teachers were Pulitzer Prize winner Henry Taylor, formalist Annie Finch, and Poet Laureate Emerita of Takoma Park, Anne Becker. I consider Annie Finch and Anne Becker to be my two mentors/muses. I enjoy writing in a variety of genres: fiction, poetry, drama. My poetry and fiction are continually published in literary journals, and my short plays have been produced at the Source Theatre in Washington, D.C. My poetry was included in the anthology, The Gávea-Brown Book of Portuguese-American Poetry. This volume will be published in Portuguese by Imprensa Nacional of Lisbon later this year. I was nominated for the Pushcart Prize for my poem, Why I Sang at Dinner, which originally appeared in Prairie Schooner. My story, The Care of Roses, won the 2010 Fiction Prize from The Northern Virginia Review. In 2013, I was awarded two consecutive poetry awards from writer.org, the website of The Writer's Center of Bethesda and Poet Lore. I live in Springfield, Virginia, close enough to D.C. to be entertained but far enough away to remain sane.
My life as an artist began early as a child actor and ended up as a writer. Along the way other arts became involved: painting, photography, and music. So far I've been a church pianist, herbalist, editor, coach, gardener, and library technician. I hope to host many other identities before the run is over. I have been writing poems for 60 years. Sometime in the 90s, I decided to take it seriously and studied for several decades at The Writer’s Center of Bethesda followed by a few more years at Politics and Prose, the notable D.C. bookstore and literary hub. I continue to take classes from time to time. Among my many teachers were Pulitzer Prize winner Henry Taylor, formalist Annie Finch, and Poet Laureate Emerita of Takoma Park, Anne Becker. I consider Annie Finch and Anne Becker to be my two mentors/muses. I enjoy writing in a variety of genres: fiction, poetry, drama. My poetry and fiction are continually published in literary journals, and my short plays have been produced at the Source Theatre in Washington, D.C. My poetry was included in the anthology, The Gávea-Brown Book of Portuguese-American Poetry. This volume will be published in Portuguese by Imprensa Nacional of Lisbon later this year. I was nominated for the Pushcart Prize for my poem, Why I Sang at Dinner, which originally appeared in Prairie Schooner. My story, The Care of Roses, won the 2010 Fiction Prize from The Northern Virginia Review. In 2013, I was awarded two consecutive poetry awards from writer.org, the website of The Writer's Center of Bethesda and Poet Lore. I live in Springfield, Virginia, close enough to D.C. to be entertained but far enough away to remain sane.
