Charles Portolano:  

Hello to all: My new collection of poetry, Wild with Life, is coming out soon. My 8th collection that allows me to express my love of and dire concerns for Mother Earth, our only home. I have been living in Fountain Hills, AZ for the last 18 years. I love the west, especially the desert in the Valley of the Sun. I was stationed at Luke AFB in 1977, that is when I learned of my love for the desert, so different than Long Island. I can't believe I get to retire here. I have been happily married for 34 years to Vivi and we have a smart, 25 year old daughter, Valerie, the joy of our lives. The most carefree years for me were 1983-87 when I worked as a mailman during the day for 2 1/2 years and 1 1/2 years as Head Supervisor of Delivery and Collection at the Babylon Post Office and at night I studied acting for a semester at NCC with Ching Li and 3 semesters of Scene Study at HB Studios on Bank Street in NYC, one semester with Bill Hickey and 2 semesters with Elizabeth Dillion, an amazing experience. Acting proved to be an important skill set to have in navigating life. I acted in ten community theater plays during those four years. 6 musicals - I can't sing, but they always needed males, and 4 straight plays. My best and favorite role was Paul Bratter in Barefoot in the Park. It was wild getting into his character. Paul Bratter was so different from me. Cool to step out of your shoes into the shoes of another being... I think the wildest 4 years (1988-1992) of my life were when I worked for Gray Construction Company as a Project Manager, Expediter, and...Expand for more