And now, a little about me...

I live in south-central Pennsylvania, USA, and have been here since around 1993, formerly from the mountains of northwestern North Carolina. For relaxation I take walks with my dog (a smallish black lab), write poetry and play a few varied musical instruments. Professionally, I pursue interests as a county hazardous materials technician and radiological officer, specializing in things related to WMD and radiation hazards. In addition to my writing, I'm also an instructor and a website designer. I am webmaster for several websites, including Celtic Myth and Moonlight, and am rather proud of her website (where all the photography is mine).

My poetry has been published in the June, August and October, 2010 issues of Green Egg Magazine. I'm hopeful for publication in other magazines and am actively looking into having my poetry published in book form.

My interests include writing poetry, photography, and playing and listening to music. I suppose one might say that my passion is for things Celtic, both ancient and modern, it's in my blood - and it permeates my writings. For relaxation I enjoy going to the numerous Celtic and Native American festivals in our region, as well as reenacting at 18th & 19th century historic events (mostly at "black powder" or "buckskinner" rendezvous).

I'm a bit of a drummer, playing Scottish/Irish bodhrans (owning four) and Native American drums (owning numerous, including a 32” Navaho Thunder Drum), and occasionally play my djimbes. I have drummed some with the duo Maggie Spike, and have a guest appearance with my thunder drum on their latest CD, Sol Paradise (although my name is spelled wrong on their CD cover). I've also played my bodhrans on-stage a few times with the Scottish drumming group Clann an Drumma (with the now sadly departed Joe Kilna MacKenzie) and for a short while with the local group Norsewind.

A few years ago I took up the Native American flute (owning several), and also play my mountain lap dulcimer (which I need to play much more often), the Lochaber Trump or jaw harp (I've won 1st & 2nd prizes at Grandfather Mountain Highland Games competitions), and the digeree doo (own three). Someday I hope to try my hand at the Celtic harp, which sounds quite beautiful. Is it obvious that I lean towards the old-fashioned instruments?

I listen mostly to Celtic music (both traditional and modern), as well as Native American music. Some entertainers I'm quite fond of are Sora, Loreena McKennitt, the Barley Bhoys, and Clann an Drumma. Some movies I'm particularly fond of include Lord of the Rings, Rob Roy, The Secret of Roan Innis, Braveheart, High Noon, The Last of the Mohicans and The Patriot, and I like the old classics as well as early science fiction and horror films. Regarding television, the old shows are generally preferred, such as Star Trek (original series), The Avengers, The Prisoner, Mulberry, The Adams Family, The Munsters, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Gilligan's Island, and so on. My favorite authors include JRR Tolkien (his writings about Middle Earth - I own most of his works), Ray Bradbury (especially his stories relating to his youth in “Green Town”), and the early vintage science fiction writers like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clark, etc.

Last updated on September 4, 2011