Bio

I was born and raised in a small town in rural Michigan called Grass Lake. My grandparents were farmers and most of my family on my mother's side lived within a half mile of each other on the same dirt road. Growing up surrounded by nature I acquired a distaste for cities of any size, so it is ironic that I have come to live in New York City, or Brooklyn, as the case may be. It is even more ironic that I love this city as much as the countryside I grew up with.

I attended the University of Michigan and received a Bachelor's of General Studies concentrating in film, video, theater and writing. I have directed a couple of short films, the play Getting Out by Marsha Norman, and the short works of Woody Allen, Lanford Wilson, Christopher Durang, August Strindberg, William Saroyan, and others. I also wrote, produced, directed, and held a starring role in the low budget feature film Harvest Moon (see script). Additionally, I have written several screenplays and plays while holding various positions in the film and television industry. I have worked behind the camera as a cinematographer on several low budget projects, designed sets and lights for the stage, gaffed the feature film The Four Corners of Nowhere, and taught acting to children.

Although I am interested in all spiritual traditions, I have chosen to follow the Buddhist path. I am a member of the New Kadampa Tradition started by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. There are currently over 350 NKT centers around the world and there is probably one near you. If you live in the New York area, I strongly recommend attending classes by my teacher, Kadam Morton Clausen at the Chakrasambara Buddhist Center in Manhattan.

After a yearlong tour of the country with a corporate exhibit in 2000, I took a year and a half off to research and write a nonfiction book about spirituality and globalization entitled The Chrysalis Age: A Handbook for Global and Spiritual Transformation in the New Millennium. This site is dedicated to promoting the ideas developed in the book.

In October 2003, I produced and directed a feature film based on my play Dark September Rain. Two weeks later got married to a wonderful woman named Tsufit, who was also the associate producer and make-up artist on the film. I spent much of the spring and summer of 2004 editing the film and most of the following year entering it into festivals. It can now be purchased on DVD from  Amazon.com.

After the film I decided to do something completely different and wrote a young adult science fiction novel called The Celestial Blade that explores the relationship between science and religion with an adventure set on a massive starship traveling between galaxies. I recently finished writing my second young adult fantasy novel called The Wizards of Time, which is about time travel an magic.  I’m trying to find an agent and publisher, while beginning to write the next novel, called The Young Sorcerer’s Guild.  

I’m still interested in filmmaking and hoping to work on a documentary called Where is God At?  It would explore the relationship between religion, spirituality, and science in the United States.  This is a bit of a long term project right now. My other long term project is a book of interspiritual prayers.

In June of 2009, I completed a two-year interfaith seminary program. I am now an ordained interfaith minister, although I refer to myself as an interspiritual minister. The program is through The One Spirit Learning Alliance, which runs the seminary as well as a Spiritual Counseling program and many other wonderful offerings.