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I am a lifelong resident of Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to distance running, I cross-train on my road bike year-round. I am a big fan of the Tour de France.

I have placed poetry and prose in several Wisconsin publications. Three of my poems have been set to music by Madison composer, Brian Schultz.

I prefer poems in which the message is fairly transparent. For a poem to be successful, I want 80 percent of the work to be understood on the first reading. The subtleties of the remaining 20 percent should be available with further readings.

In addition, I have high regard for poems whose language is very musical. The sound and the rhythm of the piece is sometimes more important to me than the message.

The four poets who have influenced me most are Mary Oliver, Walt Whitman, Mark Doty and William Stafford. You can read about them and find links to their works at www.poets.org.

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