In a varied career, I clerked for a federal judge, taught on a law faculty, and travelled around the Midwest playing fiddle with country and bluegrass bands. In retirement, I live on a wooded hill in central Ohio, where I write poetry and release original songs through my Diva Cat Records label. An interest in traditional Chinese culture and literature has guided me to new paths in my creative work.
My album of “Twang Dynasty songs” presents 16 original songs inspired by classical Chinese poetry, re-imagined in the style of American folk and country music. Professor Zong-qi Cai’s international podcast, How to Read Chinese Poetry, includes a video presentation on my songs. That podcast also enlisted me as the English language narrative voice for some translations (by others) of old Chinese poems.
Another scholar involved in the podcast, Professor Jonathan Stalling, intrigued me with his imaginative system for approximating the sound and structure of Chinese jueju while writing in English. With Professor Stalling’s encouragement, I have been writing English jueju as a way to sharpen my observation of the landscape and to reflect on my inner reaction to the natural world. Following all the formal rules is a challenge!
In 2025, the University of Oklahoma awarded me a Newman Prize for my English jueju “I Drink Cinnamon Tea in Late January.” The University’s Institute for US-China Issues awards that prize every two years to “the best classical Chinese poems written in English.” I am grateful.
