I write some serious nonfiction work. One meditative piece, "Gifts," won first place in the Words on the Wall contest at the Philadelphia Writers' Conference. I will include it here once it is no longer under consideration at a magazine.
Pablo Neruda
I have written a book-length meditation on one 32-line poem by Pablo Neruda. "Poem 20" is from the collection Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair (Veinte poemas de amor y una canción desesperada). It is a poem about love and loss. It is the most accomplished poem ever written on that subject.
I had used the poem in the classroom for several years to demonstrate how to interpret a literary work. When I commented to one class that someone could write a whole book on such an intricate poem, the students nodded. When I said I could write such a book, the class applauded spontaneously. That was all the feedback I needed.
The book is done and will be in the hands of an agent soon. Wish me luck!
Music articles
In 1996 I began to write about music for the Ryder Magazine of the Arts, based in Bloomington, Indiana. I write an annual preview of the Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. I will post the most recent preview, from 2005. This year I had an opportunity to interview Irish musician Dáithí Sproule in lieu of a preview, but next time I write the Lotus article I'll go back to the preview format. See the 2005 preview.
The Comma Guy
As a favor to some friends, I wrote a treatise on comma usage. It wound up on my school's website, and someone saw it and referred to me as the "Comma Guy." How cool is that? I have posted the comma article here.
Upcoming Projects
As odd as it will sound, I have two book-length nonfiction projects underway that I can't discuss. The problem is that the ideas are so delicious and the books so far from completion (four months for one, up to a year for the other) that someone with a lot of time to spare could undercut me. So keep your eyes on this spot for an official unveiling around April 2008.
I love anticipation.