Bio

The Sleeping Giant, left. Hiking to the “castle” at the top is a rite of Hamden childhood.

After the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan, my dad brought their first album home from Sears, where he worked.

In the ’70s. IBM Selectrics were the cutting edge in typewriters.

When I was in college, my parents got me a used IBM Selectric typewriter. It was important to me because it meant they were taking my writing seriously: Selectrics were expensive, even used.
Where did I go to school? Centerville School, kindergarten through 6th grade; Blessed Sacrament Junior High; and Sacred Heart Academy, all in my hometown. For college, I went to the University of Connecticut, and grew so attached to the place that after I got my bachelor’s degree in psychology, I returned for a master’s in American literature. My favorite place at UConn was Jaime K. Arjona Hall, left, home of the English department. My favorite person in that place was Professor J.D. O’Hara, who taught me all the important things about being a writer. Most important, for me, was that writing is easy; rewriting is hard.
After grad school I bounced around for a while: worked at an ad agency, lived in England, got into newspapers and ended up at the Philadelphia Inquirer, where I spent more years than I care to discuss. I’m married and I have two teenage sons and a black labradoodle named Shelby. The five of us live in continual chaos just outside Philadelphia.
That’s about enough out of me. If you have any questions, send me an email. I always answer emails.