Find your next favourite story now
Login
MikeStone
Over 90 days ago
Israel

About

I was born in Columbus Ohio, USA, in 1947. I graduated from Ohio State University with a BA in Psychology. I served in both the US Army and the Israeli Defense Forces. I've been writing poetry since I was a student at OSU. I've published five books of poetry, a book of essays, and four science fiction novels. I moved to Israel in 1978 and live in Raanana. I'm married and have three sons and eight precious grandchildren.

I write about my experiences and what I know. Then I like to put those things in a dramatical context, oftentimes a sci-fi context, using my imagination to extrapolate or interpolate from what is possible to what is not yet possible. I like to challenge myself (and, I suppose, my readers). I sometimes like to sprinkle in a little love, a bit of sadness, and a slight amount of uncertainty and panic.

Check out my blog at http://uncollectedworks.wordpress.com/.You can read my latest poetry, short stories, and essays, while they are works in progress.

Interests
Reading and writing poetry, short stories, and science fiction. Playing chess. I used to read chess books by the masters. I used to play music (clarinet and saxophone) and compose. I used to draw, paint, and sculpt. I speak, read, and write English and Hebrew fluently. I used to speak Spanish and German passably well. I also studied Russian and Arabic. I read a lot of astronomy, history, philosophy, and psychology.

Favorite Books
All of Professor Yuval Noah Harari's books ("Sapiens", "Homo Deus", & "21 Lessons for the 21st Century"), Wendell Berry's "New Collected Poems", Arthur C. Clark's "Profiles of the Future", Lawrence Durrell's "The Alexandria Quartet", John Fowles' "Magus", Jonathan Safran Foer's "Everything Is Illuminated", and others. I've lived a long life of reading.

Favorite Authors
Yuval Noah Harari, Wedell Berry, Lawrence Durrell, John Fowles, Jonathan Safran Foer, William Faulkner, J.D. Salinger, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Gary Snyder, Tom Clancy, Jared Diamond, Susan Sontag, Friedrich Nietzsche, Philip K. Dick, Nelson DeMille, Irvin Yalom, Eli Wiesel, Yves Bonnefoy, and others too many to remember.

Favorite Movies
Blues Brothers, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, Elvira Madigan, The Piano, 2001 A Space Oddessy, The Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Carousel (Rogers and Hammerstein musical), A Beautiful Mind ...

Favorite TV Shows
Lost, House, Criminal Minds (for the quotes)

Favorite Music
J.S. Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Beethoven (odd-numbered symphonies), Aaron Copland, Dave Brubeck, Shostakovich, Arvo Pärt, Eric Satie, Verdi, Wagner, Charles Ives, Sibelius
View all

The Spirit of the Bayonet Fighter

“What is the spirit of the bayonet fighter? To kill, to kill, with cold, cold steel”

  Back in 1961, I heard on the radio that Kennedy had sent 500 US Special Forces and military advisors to a place called Vietnam. I was just starting high school at the time. It was the first time I remember hearing about that country. We also had a war g...