Welcome

Welcome. I am a writer. Here’s a little about me.

I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, where I received most of my formal education. Mrs. Dunnington (elementary school), Mrs. Bracey (middle school), Mr. Rudd (high school), Professor Bate (college), and Professor Vlahcevic (medical school) were among my favorite teachers.

Outside the classroom, I learned from work as a burger flipper, an auto parts clerk, a drugstore delivery boy, a grocery store cashier, and a construction debris heaver. I also achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

As an intern at New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital in 1983, I spent 36-hour shifts treating the tragic nonstop complications of AIDS patients. Since then, whether a beeper blares or remains silent, I have relived many a sleepless night.

While practicing medicine at a VA hospital in Illinois, I sought an outlet. Thanks to the tutelage of another cherished mentor, Elaine Fowler Palencia, I established writing as the second chapter of my life. My fiction has gone on to appear in Chicago Quarterly Review, North American Review, New Letters, Minnesota Review, Redivider, Other Voices, Chiron Review, and other literary magazines. More stories are in the works, as is a novel. The novel draws on my experience as a physician.

To give back, I have tutored high school equivalency candidates in a variety of adult education venues. In so doing, I wrote howtopasstheged.com. Approaching one thousand printed pages in length, this free online book is a finished product that provides 24/7 access to preparatory materials for seekers and teachers alike.

Along the way, I finished four marathons. Now a resident of Raleigh, North Carolina, I reach a runner’s high on the trails of Umstead Park.