About
I have spent my professional life working at the intersection of spirituality and social justice, both as Executive Director of several non-profit organizations and as a pastor. Although my doctoral work is in early Anglican spirituality, I have spent many years exploring connections between Christian and Buddhist contemplative traditions. I have written, spoken, and taught on topics ranging from spirituality to fundraising. Related my debut novel, Flute on a Misty Sea, I have studied the Japanese martial art of Aikido for 25 years (in which I hold a second-degree black belt), and I have also practiced the Japanese flute -- the shakuhachi -- for over 20 years. I have spent time in Japan studying both these disciplines, which I have also taught and which are part of my own (eclectic) spiritual practice. I live in Washington, DC, with my wife, our two (pandemically) stir-crazy children, and three rescued pets (a grumpy old dog and two cats).
Featured Work
Song of the Samurai
Japan, 1745, is a land under the iron grip of the Tokugawa shoguns. Roads are monitored, dissent stifled, and order maintained through blackmail and an extensive network of informers. Amid rumors of rebellion, Kurosawa Kinko– samurai and monk– is expelled in disgrace as the head music instructor of his Zen temple in Nagasaki. He begins an odyssey across Japan, dogged by agents and assassins from an unknown foe. Along his journey, Kinko encounters a compelling cast of merchants, ronin, courtesans, spies, warriors, hermits, and spirits, on a quest to redeem his honor. Inspired by the life of the historical Kurosawa Kinko (1710-1771), master of the shakuhachi flute and founder of the Kinko-ryu school, Song of the Samurai takes the reader on a richly-textured exploration of feudal Japan and the complexities of the human spirit.
