01/25/12

   In 1996, I turned down a tenure track position at a Midwest university to take a position as an English instructor at an international school in Rio de Janeiro.  From 1997 to 2005, I was a member of the Upper School faculty at Escola Americana where I taught IB English, Theory of Knowledge, American Literature, British Literature, and 9th & 10th grade Humanities.  For three years, I served as IB Coordinator and I was a lead writer on the Curriculum Review Committee and the English Curriculum Committee.

     When not teaching, I often combine my love of travel with my love of writing. Considering travel essential “research” for good writing, I have been to Western Samoa, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and many regions of Brazil and my current home country of Taiwan.  I have hiked the Inca Trail, floated the Amazon River, trekked through Patagonia, and sailed some of the routes followed by Ulysses --recording everything of note in my journals to serve as material for my writing.

    One of my trips took me to the Equatorial Andes where I followed the trail of Frederic Edwin Church, a romantic landscape artist who painted tropical volcanoes.  The culmination of my experiences was a novel, Pilgrim of the Sublime--a book about art, family, passion, and one man’s attempt to lead a beautiful life in a world marked by longing and hardship.

    From 2005-06, I lived in Tiradentes, Brazil with my wife Jennifer, who is also an international teacher.  Together, we set up a small workspace where we practiced our respective arts. The venture was a long-cherished dream, as we resigned from our jobs and moved to a rural, colonial town to devote ourselves to developing our artistic skills. 

    In July of 2006, we relocated to Taiwan where we both worked at the Taipei American School teaching courses in the International Baccalaureate Program.  I have continued with my writing, and in 2007 I completed a second novel--a satire in search of an agent.  From time to time I publish non-fiction and short stories.

    After five rewarding years in Taiwan, Jennifer and I were ready to return to South America.  Our longing to be closer to our friends and our love of the Brazilian culture in general prompted a move to São Paulo.  We both feel very fortunate to be faculty members at the Graded American School.