I look forward to getting to know you. Originally from northern New York State, I have lived in a small river town for almost forty years. Now retired, I taught for just shy of thirty years at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, a residential high school for students gifted in science and mathematics. I am not gifted in science and mathematics, so I taught interdisciplinary English and writing.

Oddly enough, I have not had courses in either those areas since my own high school days, but I landed the job because I am widely read, and studied a variety of writers for what they did—and didn’t do. I have interests in almost everything—except maybe abstract algebra—so I hold a variety of degrees in a variety of subjects, including philosophy, music composition, musicology, and doctorates in music history and in the interdisciplinary arts. Even though I am retired, I continue to pursue all kinds of studies. When I’m not writing fast and furious, and reading voraciously, I also enjoy playing my kalimba, a complete set of recorders, and tongue and djembe drums. I have, in the last few years, gotten interested in the art of colored pencil drawing, in which I color my own drawings, or render photographs—mine or others—in new interpretations. And I listen almost constantly to a wide range of music, including not only classical and folk, but jazz, and eastern music. This latter is of  considerable interest to me, as I had the privilege as an undergraduate to play in a gamelan orchestra. Suffice it to say, I am never bored.