I'm a born and bred city dweller living in the country. My childhood was an exciting one, living in a Bronx neighborhood with apartment buildings and plenty of kids to play with. City life made us street smart at an early age. Having majored in History and Geography my career spanned the publishing and commercial printing fields and now service industry. Although I have no formal training as a writer (I'm not a journalist nor an editor), I loved to write poetry and prose all my life. My writing career got a jump start when I won the coveted Netty and Carl Halpern Memorial Award for the best narrative in the fall 2002 issue of the Bronx County Historical Society Journal. I have also been published in various anthologies, magazines, newspapers and journals as well appearing at many websites. My first book of poetry and short stories, "A Night on Mystical Mountain," was released in November of 2005. My second book is in its final stages and will appear early 2007. I have written hundreds of poems and short stories, articles, essays and selected biographies as well as book and movie reviews. Much of my writing draws inspiration from my personal experiences and my own identity. I began writing seriously after winning an award from the Bronx County Historical Society for the best narrative of Fall 2002. I am on many websites as well as published in various magazines and anthologies. My first book of short stories and poems "A Night on Mystical Mountain,"was published in November 2005. My second book "Conversations from the Past," is nearing completion and will be released in early 2007. My writing grapples with many themes and many political, social and religious issues. My form and style are diverse and I also vary my technique for fiction and nonfiction. I am an intense researcher and avid reader of crime and nonfiction history. My favorite characters are from Daschiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. My favorite contemporary writer is Anne Perry who is astonishingly prolific and has written some of the best prose I have ever read. I am reminded of a quote from Vincent van Gogh: "...I cannot do without something which is greater than I, which is my life - the power to create." It is that happiness in the joy of achievement and in the thrill of creative effort. 

Best narrative for nostalgia on the Bronx Board (April 2002).
Bronx County Historical Society Halpern Memorial Award (2002)
Best poem "The Wayside Inn," Poeticwings website
Best Holloween poem "Ghost at the Top of the Stairs," Poeticwings website.
Best short story, "Crime Wave," Prose-n-poetry website.
Movie review, "Gangs of New York."