I grew up across the Mississippi River, from St. Louis. Earned a couple BAs and an MS at Southern Illinois University. Moved to the west coast as soon as I was able. Dabbled with writing in high school and college, but never took myself seriously until San Francisco in the sixties when my work began to be published in the S.F. Bay Guardian and High Times magazine.

Much of my writing has been inspired by time spent in India, Thailand, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, and Europe. I’ve always loved travel and done as much of it as time and finances allowed. I am now an expat living in Sweden with my wife, who is Swedish, and two very spoiled cats.

My predilections, other than writing poetry and fiction, are photography, and sculpture. Have had moderate success with both. Most recent photographs published in 3rd Wednesday, Fiction International, and Quarrtsiluni Literary Magazine.

Short stories have appeared in various literary reviews: Northern Liberties Review – Reader’s Choice award, The Crucible – Barton College – 1st Place, fiction. Poetry in Pirene’s Fountain, Kind of a Hurricane Press, Writers Abroad Anthology, and The Path.

Favorite writers: Cormack McCarthy and Jorge Amado.

Favorite poet: Charles Bukowski.

Lost In Seattle

A mid-life man discovers himself, Lost in Seattle.

A nice guy, fifty-three years old, gets  downsized and is out of work, 3 years. Willie Brenner loses everything white middle class has given: savings, wife & daughter, home . . . even his dog. He moves into a low rent neighborhood and discovers a floating world of ethnicities and lifestyles previously unknown. Men and women working to survive at a near poverty level of existence. Temps jobs: heavy lifting, cleaning fumes, and accidents . . . jobs that can kill you.

Follow a runaway mother with Alzheimer’s, a bank robber – the one armed bandit, one serial killer, two lawyers, a motorcycle gang, two artists, a Buddhist abbot – Iron Ma, and a braless barista who loves sex. New friends created by the bonds of common labor.

The Story

One might define this work as creative non-fiction. I was out of work for three years in San Francisco, Moved to Seattle where I worked for Boeing as an electrical design consultant until they laid me off. I began working temp jobs and discovered a unknown world most of the middle class will never see.

My Blogs:

WordPress – Blogspot

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Amazon:

UK – USA – Canada – Australia