Beyond my current featured books, my four-decades-plus writing journey includes a groundbreaking non-fiction textbook, award-winning poetry, short stories, articles, and theatrical works. Here are some additional works that have shaped my career as an author.
Fire Behind Bars
This is the book that started it all. By the late 1970s, a series of devastating fires had ripped through U.S. prisons and jails. As a popular criminal justice trainer specializing in crisis intervention, I was approached by the Department of Justice to research the causes and write a brief manual on mitigation and prevention for secure institution administrators. Partnering with Alton P. Golden, a correctional institution fire marshal, we uncovered the root causes and identified specific steps administrators and staff could take to reduce or eliminate them. That brief manual evolved into a 130-page book, and in 1979 the U.S. Department of Justice published Fire Behind Bars as a restricted publication. The book launched me onto the national stage as a speaker and consultant and ignited my writing journey.
Journey
Poems of Love, Laughter and Nature Along Life’s Pathways
In 2014 I edited and published this compilation of 53 poems by my friend and poet, Joan LaRose. After being alerted that Joan was in a nursing facility, I visited to find her severely debilitated by advanced Parkinson’s disease. yet still writing creative, positive and inspiring poetry. Determined that she should not “die with her music still in her,” we worked together to edit and proof-read each poem (along with our co-editor, Michael Lyman), arrange them thematically, format them into a book, and publish the book on Amazon. Joan has since passed away, but her poetry still has the power to inspire and sustain you, so I strongly encourage poetry lovers to get a copy of her uplifting book.
Miner’s Lament
My father was a coal miner in the Anthracite fields of northeast Pennsylvania. At age 11, he was pulled from school to work in the mines. In his mid-sixties, he died of the black lung. Miner’s Lament explores the human cost of labor, loss, and the dignity of working-class life through evocative imagery and emotional depth. The award-winning poem earned third place in the worldwide Writer’s Digest competition. This recognition by one of the most prestigious writing competitions affirmed my commitment to poetry as a vital form of storytelling alongside my longer narrative works. I am sharing the full text of the poem on this site for your reading pleasure.
Other Short-Form Writing and Theatrical Works
My creative work extends beyond novels and poetry into short fiction, articles and live theater. I have written numerous short stories, many of which have appeared in literary journals. I may consider collecting them into a single volume in the future but for now they remain individual pieces exploring diverse themes and characters.
My Theatrical Work
Theater holds a special place in my heart. Over the decades, I have written and / or directed several plays, including a stage adaptation of my novel Wounded Angels. In 2018, I mounted a dramatic reading of the play, directed by Ilvi Dulack, at Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury Connecticut. I am currently collaborating with another Connecticut theater company to workshop and stage a full production of Wounded Angels. Stay tuned for updates on performance dates and venues.