Writer | Teacher | Artistic Mercenary

“ONE DAY I WILL FIND THE RIGHT WORDS, AND THEY WILL BE SIMPLE.”
— KEROUAC

In the past forty years, I have worn many hats—Events Director for both nonprofit and commercial radio, Promotions Director, freelance copywriter, casino operations manager in Vegas, Chicago public school music teacher, story slam host, Off Loop theatrical producer/director, Front of House Manager for Chicago’s Millennium Park, professional trumpet player, and one-time homeless busker. Like each random gig is a chapter in a novel written by a lunatic.

Notable stuff:

• Founded WNEP Theater in 1992. Produced hundreds of original plays including the critically acclaimed Let There Be Light!, Wiseblood, Invasion of the Minnesota Normals, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, and Metaluna and The Amazing Science of the Mind Revue. Directed many original works including Soirée DADA: Neue Weltaffen, Postmortem, Statuette: A Hollywood Musical, and The (edward) Hopper Project.

• Created the stewardship events department at WBEZ 91.5 Chicago (2007 - 2017). Executed live experiences for ten to ten thousand attendees including Winter Block Party for Chicago Hip Hop Arts, Global Activism Expo, and Chicago Chef Battle.

• Hosted the Chicago Moth Story Slam (2012 - 2017) including six Moth Grandslams.

• Published ten books including Belief is a Sledgehammer, More Spock, Less Kirk, and I Didn’t Marry a Prostitute…

Now living alone, thrice-divorced, I commit to a daily routine of writing too much, drinking too much, and railing against the dying of the light. Go to my Substack or to the digital magazine I co-edit and to which I contribute to regularly: www.literateape.com.

My latest book, Casino at the End of the World, is available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.