The CBC guy. The smiling Buddha. 54% woman.

I wondered into Books and Company for my first Rant Nite one Thursday evening back in May of 1997. Though I didn't have the courage to get up and read my poetry until a few weeks later, I was struck with the idea, the realization, that I was no longer alone. Other people also wasted time scribbling nonsense in notebooks. Some of the scribbling those people had done wasn't bad at all. Some of those people became my fellow Crows.

When I finally did get up and read, I felt the fear; I felt the rush. I was hooked. When a beautiful brunette approached me with compliments after my second reading, I was justified. I felt that I finally had a reason to write regularly; each Thursday became a deadline for new material.

Two years have passed, and Rant Nite is still alive (though the brunette is no where to be seen). Through those weekly readings, I have met some very talented people, made some dear friends, and have mingled with some very supportive established writers. I hope I am only at the start of an exciting adventure.

Thanks to Lisa, the creator of Rant Nite, and thanks to Jim, owner of Books and Company. Everything that I treasure today would be mere fantasy without your efforts.

Thanks to the rest of the Crows for being the rest of the Crows. Strength in numbers, baby!

Besides the first Crows book, my work has appeared in a few local publications. I'd like to now state that the fact that the books were all published by Jeffé Publications, owned fellow Crow Stephen St Laurent, is mere coincidence.

The poems Guerilla Poetry and That Million Plus Metropolitan Lower Mainland Sport Utility Feelin' both appeared in Infinitives.

The monologues, Love in the Cafe Era and From Eh to Zed, have appeared in issues two and three, respectively, of Dickweed.

My writing has not only appeared in print for the grace of a friend I have known for more than a decade, oh no! I self-published a chapbook of my poetry back in October of 1998. It is called I Like You Best in Bed, and I do not mind admitting that I am proud of it. If you wouldn't mind a copy of your own, It is available in Prince George at Books and Company, as well as the UNBC Bookstore. If you are nowhere near PG - like most people - then contact me; for a nominal fee I can send you a copy.

In Mid October of 1998, I was lucky enough to take part in The Prince George Theatre Workshop's annual Monty Python Night. The Crows collectively wrote a few skits, and I had the opportunity to "act" in a couple of them.

In March of 1999, I read at a large literary reading that was part of BC Book Week. It was a real thrill to share a podium with local celebrities like Jacqueline Baldwin, John Harris, and Barry Mckinnon.

 I hope one day to have a novel completed. When I started it, I had no idea what I was getting into. I have a couple years of hard work ahead of me. In the mean time, I have become interested in short stories and drama. I have no real idea how to write in any of these genres effectively, but I don't imagine that will stop me from trying.