I write poems for the quiet page and libretti for the singing stage.
Why I Write.
My path to poetry began as a child when a teacher asked us to write a poem in class. That poem is lost to the ages, but it started a process through which I began to express and understand my thoughts and feelings through words. I spent a career as a soldier in the United States Army. That and caring for my disabled wife and son are the well from which many of my first poems were drawn. My first chapbook, Love and Other Four-Letter Words was a collection of those poems. Recently, I have attended poetry workshops led by David Led, Tess Galigher, Jon Lee, Richard Haas, Brenda Hillman, and others.
My son’s love for opera inspired me to learn to love the medium. A few years ago, I decided to try my hand at writing a libretto and once again dipped into the well of my Army career. My current project, Being Dead, explores the impact, both seen and unseen, that war has on those who fight them. In 2025/26 I attended the Guerilla Opera Company’s Writers’ Collective, where I workshopped Being Dead into a complete libretto. I am currently actively in search of a composer with whom to collaborate to finish the project.
For many years my favorite poet was David Lee. His folksy style, humor, and vernacular make writing poems seem so much easier than it is. I’ve played with a voice like his in a few poems, telling stories of war and love. More recently I’ve come to enjoy Billy Collins. Again, he makes it all look so easy. His poems are free and easy and carry a big punch in just a few lines of text.
Modern librettists whose work I enjoy and from whom I have learned include Kendra Preston Leonard (Protrectress), Terrence McNally (Dead Man Walking) Kasi Lemmons (Fire Shut Up in My Bones), and Alice Goodman (Nixon in China). I love how they portray truly complicated social and emotional complications with the weight they require and the dignity they deserve. The first time I watched Fire Shut Up in My Bones, I wondered how they would portray the truly gruesome act of child rape. The stage direction and text allowed the audience to clearly understand the situation without graphicly showing a child being raped. I have tried to use similar care in writing about suicidality, combat wounds, and death in Being Dead.
The Writers Who Inform Me.
What I Hope to contribute to american literature and opera.
Recently my poetry has become somewhat political. I see poetry as an opportunity to express difficult notions in provocative ways. Living in the American West I have clearly seen the effects of climate change, as our summers turn into infernos and our winters barely get colder than fall. It’s important that we call out the hypocrisy and shortsightedness of our leaders, and poetry is a wonderful way to do this.
Being Dead came from my experience as a retired soldier. So frequently we, veterans, are thanked for our service with a glib smile and nod. But most Americans have no idea what they are thanking the veteran for. Being Dead puts the audience deeply into the sorrow and loss that can overwhelm soldiers, even soldiers who come home with no external injuries. Music is such a powerful tool to carry this feeling into the hearts of the audience and hopefully change their attitudes towards the sacrifices veterans have made.