I am a journalist and author originally from Suffolk County, New York. Having gotten my first job as a cub reporter when I was 15, I've been a freelance writer for over 20 years and am the author of two books (both rock and roll biographies, one on singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, the other on Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham). In 2020, I moved to Berkeley, California and wrote my second book while living at a Buddhist monastery (I love researching world religions and meditate regularly), but moved to Columbia, South Carolina in 2021 to work in order to work on my third book, as biography of crime novelist Elmore Leonard. Here in South Carolina, I met my fiancée on campus, who introduced me to Couchsurfing! ... for fun, I am a musician (piano mainly), avid reader, I love traveling, art, and am a movie buff. I'm also very excited to meet new, likeminded people through Couchsurfing, as my partner and I plan on traveling together all over the world.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Aside from my own passion for travel and meeting new people, as a journalist, I do have to travel for research frequently. For both reasons, Couchsurfing has been an incredible find. Although I am new to having my own profile, my fiancée has been using the site for years, and has traveled all over Europe and the U.S., with only the most fun stories of positive experiences with her various hosts. I was on one such trip to Washington D.C. and loved everything about meeting the host, hanging out, and learning about the city where he was hosting us. One day, we also hope to become hosts ourselves, providing likeminded travelers with the same hospitality and fun as I've been lucky enough to enjoy. As a guest, I am always down to talk about life, art. books, movies, and music!

Interests

• writing
• cooking
• meditation
• movies
• reading
• music
• jazz
• travel
• museums
• veganism
• book
• libraries
• rock and roll

Music, Movies, and Books

It's hard to pick favorites of things, but I'll take a shot! ... The three books I've written are all on personal heroes of mine; as a musician, I love classic rock, jazz, and even classical music -- I always have music on when I'm writing. As much as I love Warren Zevon and Led Zeppelin, the first band I loved as a kid was Queen, and I am also a tremendous fan of most classic bands ... For jazz, I am a huge fan of Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk, and many more-- I also love documentaries and biographies. I've wanted to be a writer since I was a child and am currently writing the biography of Elmore Leonard since he was my hero when i was 11 years old and we corresponded with each other. I love Hemingway, Fitzgerald, the Beat Generation, Hunter Thompson, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, and tons of crime fiction writers and biographers. I have many favorite movies, but "Citizen Kane" remains my all-time favorite; in school, I developed a love of international films and classic black-and-white movies ... In general, I'm kind of a pop culture junky.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Hmmmm.... This is tough, but I am pretty blessed with something that happened a few years ago. After I completed writing my John Bonham biography, I worked hard to get Foo Fighters' founder Dave Grohl to do the Foreword. After his manager was generous enough to respond and ask for a PDF of my final draft, I sent it over and found out later that Dave actually read the book while he was on an airplane to Washington D.C. to play music at President Biden's inauguration ... Ultimately, Dave wrote my Foreword, which was a tremendous honor, but knowing when and how he read the book itself felt like a once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

Teach, Learn, Share

As a lifelong writer, I'm very happy to say that I've worked at a few colleges to assist students with their English and Communications studies -- at SUNY Empire State College in New York, Loyola University in Baltimore (where I worked as an Assistant Speechwriter for the NAACP), and at the University of South Carolina. So, I'm always interested in talking with my fellow writers (professional and aspiring), as well as my fellow bookworms! As a musician, I also love jamming and talking shop with music buffs, and movie fans, as well. Since I also studied at a Buddhist retreat, I can offer guidance on meditation, mindful living, and veganism (my fiancée and I are both vegans, so I can cook all sorts of vegan-friendly meals and desserts :)

What I Can Share with Hosts

Aside from my love of writing, reading, music, and film, I think that my experiences traveling and meeting some fascinating people can be shared with hosts -- as well as my cooking abilities. If a host is interested in a piano lesson or two (and as a keyboard available), I can teach some basic chords to get them motivated to keep learning.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States