I was born in Albany, NY on August 2, 1956. I spent most of my childhood in Niskayuna, NY, part of Schenectady. In high school, I played football, wrestled, played baseball, and also ran indoor track 1 year and played 1 year of basketball.

I graduated in 1978 from the University of Rochester, where I also played football, and lived in Rochester for 5 more years before moving to Andover, MA in 1983.

I am married and have 4 children - 2 girls and 2 boys. My oldest was born on March 9th, 1982 and my youngest was born on February 19th, 1990.

I began writing audition poems for my kids when I was 33 years old. Other kids asked me to write for them, also, and before too long I had written a bunch. The theater group convinced me to have them published and There's a Hippo in My Locker was born 11 years after I wrote its first poem.

My favorite movies are the Star Wars Trilogy, my favorite food is leftovers, and my favorite color is black - or blue - but definitely not black AND blue.

That seems to round out the majority of questions I get.  Oops, I almost forgot: I have a dog and his name is Tripper. We rescued him from the pound about 7 years ago and I think that he is a cross between a Golden Retriever and a Samoyed. Here is the picture that I show at my school assemblies: