From the time of my childhood, words have been an integral part of my life. It started with my love of music, which began at the age of two. The lyrics of the songs that rotated on my mono record player spun their way into my life. As a result, I began to write song lyrics very early. Later on when I picked up the guitar and learned how to play, I turned some of those lyrical words into songs.

When I learned how to read, I became an avid reader. I devoured any book that came my way and loved losing myself in the words of the stories. This was the beginning of my lifelong love of literature. My poetry composing was a natural progression from my song lyrics. Those earlier attempts at poetry began in 1984. Over the years I continued to write hundreds of poems. When it came time to choose the hundred poems that would form the basis for my first poetry book, I took a fresh look at my poems. Most of the earlier poems that were chosen for the book were vastly revised, and many new poems were written specifically for the book.

I earned my undergraduate degree in English, and a minor in Greek language and literature, at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. I earned my master's degree in English education at Rutgers' Graduate School of Education. My college classes have exposed me to a much larger universe of poetry. As a result, I consider my first book of poems as a humble beginning to my poetic musings. They represent my orientations to the craft of poetry, my first baby steps toward visual expression.

I currently am a teacher of English at North Plainfield High School, as well as an adjunct professor of English at New Jersey City University and an adjunct professor in the modern Greek studies program at Rutgers University.

The newer unpublished poems that I have written show that my craft is evolving as I immerse myself more in the discovery of language. I love wordplay and poetry allows me to express my emotions and thoughts in a way that other genres cannot. I love poetry and am very passionate about it. I could not imagine life without it.

I have recently finished my second poetry book, which is currently in submission. My first children's book is being revised in preparation for submission to a publisher. I am continuing work on my first novel. Of course, my poetic musings continue to yield new poems as I continue to hone my craft and express my voice. Three new poems are featured in the August 2007 issue of Unfettered Verse.