As someone who grew up around words and newspapers, as well as having a love for writing, I can't really pinpoint one influence. I love to read something that makes me want to live my life differently. Few writers really do that, but I will mention Ernest Hemingway as my favorite writer and "The Catcher in the Rye" as my favorite book.

I have published numerous poems in print magazines across the United States as well as in several other countries. I do not enter contests, so I don't have any awards to mention. I do, though, plan to finally publish my first poetry book in 2002.

At present, I am unemployed, looking for work as a book editor or a copy editor for a magazine. Mostly, I keep myself busy with my poetry manuscript.