Writing

I have written on numerous topics and in various contexts. My goal with this collection of sample pieces is to give a sense of myself as a writer in the big picture, to provide examples of my style and my ability to find and express a narrative.

Art: I have recently begun collaborating with contemporary artist Linda Karshan on an upcoming New York project: here is the proposal I wrote to pitch to the venue, the full-length monograph is coming soon. Linda Karshan: What the Body Does

Music: These are program notes I wrote for Chamber Music Tulsa, for their “evening salon” concert series aimed at reaching new audiences and introducing unfamiliar listeners to classical music, and concert reviews I wrote as their “field agent” scouting interesting ensembles to book for upcoming seasons.

• The Daedalus Quartet explores the world of dreams
• The Carpe Diem String Quartet walks the line between “classical” and “folk” traditions
• The Tesla Quartet enjoys the classical and the modernist
• The Brentano Quartet pays solemn homage on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1
• Concert Review – Minetti Quartet Show Viennese Character, 3-31-16 Mendelssohn, Beethoven, beer, caffeine, Type-A friends in party dresses, and Kafka.
• Verona Quartet at Carnegie Hall 2-7-17 – A young quartet just out of school, so good they made me start lamenting the limitations of the “academic” model that early-career classical musicians are often trapped in.

Travel and tourism: In 2016, I was commissioned to research and write a tour guidebook to the American South for a client from the United Kingdom. It was a fascinating project, and I hope to take myself on the tour someday too! A Tour of the American South

The romance of football: These are a small selection, and happen to be my favorites, of the articles I wrote for Italian Football Daily in 2014-15. We were mostly a news-oriented site but whenever possible I pitched longer-form player profiles and – especially – explorations of the history of the game and its great characters.

• “Gianfranco Zigoni: Jesus, Che Guevara and Myself.” One of the most bizarre figures of a bizarre era: an eccentric striker in Dolce Vita 1970s Italy.
• “Vittorio Pozzo: A General At War.” The Italian national team’s most successful coach and an important revolutionizer of the game’s tactics – and a favorite of Benito Mussolini.
• “Gigi Riva: The Roar of Thunder.” Orphaned poor boy from the north moves to Sardinia, becomes legend.

 

Personal essays and creative writing: Admit it, everybody does it. Here are a few blog pieces that I’m mildly proud of.

• Manuscripts Don’t Burn – an aspiring writer in search of Authenticity does battle with technological reality. Featuring a scheming virtual typewriter named Winston.
• Nocturne – portrait of the artist as a New York bar fly.