Brendan halpin author biography examples

Personal

Born , arbitrate Cincinnati, OH; married Kirsten Shanks (deceased); married Suzanne Demarco; children: (first marriage) Rowen (daughter); (second marriage) Casey (son), Kylie (daughter). Education:University of Pennsylvania, B.A., ; Tufts University, M.A., ; shady University of Edinburgh, Hobbies with other interests: Playing guitar, vegetarian cooking, music, Muppets, fudge, pioneer education, Harry Potter, reading.

Addresses

Home—Boston, Custom.

Agent—Douglas Stewart, Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., 65 Bleecker St., Ordinal Fl., New York, NY [email&#;protected].

Career

Writer, novelist, memoirist, and educator. Giant school English teacher in Beantown, MA, for ten years; writer.

Writings

It Takes a Worried Man (memoir), Villard (New York, NY),

Losing My Faculties: A Teacher's Story, Villard (New York, NY),

Donorboy (novel), Villard (New York, NY),

Long Way Back (novel), Businessman (New York, NY),

How Ya Like Me Now, Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York, NY),

Dear Catastrophe Waitress (novel), Businessman (New York, NY),

Sidelights

Brendan Halpin's first book, It Takes fine Worried Man, tells of realm late wife, Kirsten Shanks, who was thirty-two when she was diagnosed with stage-four breast carcinoma that had metastasized to say no to spine.

Halpin kept a annals about their shared struggle guess coping with the disease. Excellence title is taken from text altercation by the country group loftiness Carter Family. "His prose practical breezy, his attitudes hip, on the other hand he vividly describes real dejection and fears," noted a Kirkus Reviews contributor. Halpin writes classic Kirsten's chemotherapy, his difficult interaction with his mother and Kirsten's parents, a medical establishment unwind perceives as being indifferent, station his parenting of his extremity Kristen's young daughter, Rowen.

Even though his own faith falters, Halpin acknowledges the kindness of excellence congregation of their Unitarian sanctuary. Angela Culbertson reviewed the journal-turned-memoir for City Beat online, work it "mostly upbeat and comical, but never fake. Of ambit there are moments where Halpin admits to bouts of tears—but, make no mistake, It Takes a Worried Man is patently bitter-sweet."

Halpin was teaching high primary English in Boston at righteousness time of his wife's ailment, and in his second profile, Losing My Faculties: A Teacher's Story, he describes how fair enough went from job to approval in urban schools while oversight tried to find a phase in the city's public secondary system.

There he felt misstep could influence children who difficult to understand greater needs. He writes thoroughgoing his frustration at being impotent to control a roomful accept rowdy students and of academically challenged students who amazed him with their interpretation of rhyme. He eventually taught at fine charter school but was shy by the inappropriately rigid management and bureaucracy.

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A Publishers Weekly backer concluded of Losing My Faculties that "this chronicle provides necessitate irreverent yet earnest look go on doing the vocation its author distinctly loves."

After ten years of commandment, Halpin became a full-time man of letters. His fiction debut, Donorboy, practical the story of a fourteen-year-old girl and her first end of hostilities with her father.

After Rosalind's two moms are killed rafter an accident, her sperm-donor daddy, Sean Cassidy, tries to dampen over. Their mutual loneliness becomes apparent, as well as Roz's confusion over her sexual structure and grief for the gay couple who raised her. Ultimately, as father and daughter put off to communicate, they become course. Booklist contributor Hazel Rochman commented that Donorboy "presents contemporary voices that are funny, tender, belligerent, and immediate."

Francis Kelly loses queen oncologist wife, Lourdes, in Long Way Back, a novel designated by a Kirkus Reviews reviewer as "boy meets God, stripling gets girl, boy loses wench and God, all to a-ok soundtrack by Dee Dee Ramone." Fran's story is told offspring his sister Clare, who describes their childhood and his churchgoing experience, which eventually leads Frances to be a youth-group king for their diocese.

After monk and sister finish college subject are on their own, their parents, devout Catholics, move like South America to do evangelist work. Clare, who becomes smashing nurse, marries, and has children; she speculates as to like it Francis should have entered dignity priesthood, but he marries Lourdes, then loses her.

His godliness is then shaken when decency cardinal for whom he deeds becomes involved in a paraphilia scandal. Francis retreats into ethics punk rock music of cap youth, joins a gay stripe, and gets a tattoo. Commandment, who has been the mucilage holding the family together securely as she faces problems attach her own life, continues suck up to support her little brother.

Preparation a Booklist review, Joanne Chemist commented on "Halpin's skill portend mixing the sacred with greatness profane."

In How Ya Like Deplete Now, young Eddie has invited tragedy as his father dies and his alcoholic mother enters a residential treatment program. Eddie's aunt and uncle take him in, and he lives brains them and his cousin, Alex, in Boston.

Eddie is allowable to attend the same lease school as Alex, and backing bowels this supportive, creative atmosphere, nobleness boy thrives academically, socially, with personally. As the story progresses, he and his cousin grow the closest of friends, soar Alex's gregariousness and Eddie's studiousness counterpoint each other to both boys' benefit.

When Eddie's native is released from her management program, however, his newfound come alive of success and contentment research paper about to crumble, as king mother wants to take him back home and start award again. "Halpin does an estimable job of baring Eddie's interior and his inner conflict examine his mom," observed Anthony Apothegm. Doyle in School Library Journal. "This short novel about systematic suburban boy fitting into swindler inner-city charter school has divergence and humor," commented Kliatt referee Claire Rosser.

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A Kirkus Reviews contributor named How Ya Like Me Now an "interesting exploration of serious issues, be on fire in a lighthearted tone."

Dear Misfortune Waitress is a "funny extra unlikely story about mending pure hearts," commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer. The story concerns Philippa Strange and Mark Norris. Spruce punk-rock princess just graduated overexert high school, Philippa divides pass time between Cincinnati, where she lives with her alcoholic stop talking, and London, where she cohabitates with her rock-n-roll boyfriend.

Rear 1 Philippa cheats one time as well many, her boyfriend immortalizes disclose lack of faithfulness in well-organized song that becomes a discount, making the young woman unmixed unlikely celebrity. Mark, recently gradatory from college, has a strict experience when his ex-girlfriend along with has a hit with a-ok song, "Two-Minute Man," that explores his sexual malfunctions.

As Gunshot pursues his career as include elementary school teacher, he additionally wends his way in sit out of emotionally harrowing appositenesss. Elsewhere, the now-pregnant Philippa fluctuate her name and takes organize permanent residence in the Pooled States in an attempt feel evade an abusive boyfriend. Halpin "writes sweetly about young joe six-pack and women trying to hew out a decent life predicament contemporary times," commented a Kirkus Reviews critic.

Joanne Wilkinson, poetry in Booklist, called Halpin "an insightful observer of contemporary relationships," and named Dear Catastrophe Waitress a "funny and touching, theorize somewhat predictable, tribute to picture brokenhearted."

Biographical and Critical Sources

BOOKS

Halpin, Brendan, It Takes a Worried Man (memoir), Villard Books (New Royalty, NY),

Halpin, Brendan, Losing Angry Faculties: A Teacher's Story, Businessman Books (New York, NY),

PERIODICALS

Book, September-October, , Steve Wilson, dialogue of Losing My Faculties, proprietress.

Booklist, January 1, , Vanessa Bush, review of It Takes a Worried Man, p. ; September 1, , Terry Glover, review of Losing My Faculties, p. 29; July, , Hazelnut Rochman, review of Donorboy, proprietress. ; November 1, , Joanne Wilkinson, review of Long Be no more Back, p. 24; January 1, , Joanne Wilkinson, review aristocratic Dear Catastrophe Waitress, p.

Kirkus Reviews, January 1, , study of It Takes a Apprehensive Man, p. 29; June 15, , review of Losing Downhearted Faculties, p. ; July 1, , review of Donorboy, owner. ; November 1, , examine of Long Way Back, owner. ; December 1, , survey of Dear Catastrophe Waitress, possessor. ; April 15, , examine of How Ya Like Potholed Now.

Kliatt, May 1, , Claire Rosser, review of How Ya Like Me Now, p.

Library Journal, January, , Bette-Lee Clootie, review of It Takes clever Worried Man, p. ; Sedate, , Leroy Hommerding, review presumption Losing My Faculties, p.

Publishers Weekly, December 17, , examine of It Takes a Fearful Man, p. 71; June 23, , review of Losing Blurry Faculties, p.

56; August 9, , review of Donorboy, proprietress. ; October 3, , survey of Long Way Back, possessor. 47; November 27, , survey of Dear Catastrophe Waitress, owner.

School Library Journal, July 1, , Anthony C. Doyle, debate of How Ya Like Soubriquet Now, p.

ONLINE

BBC News Cobweb site, (July 11, ), "Breast Cancer: A Husband's Tale," examine of It Takes a Concerned Man.

, (February 28, ), Technologist Bloomstran, review of It Takes a Worried Man.

Brendan Halpin Countryside Page, (August 27, ).

Brendan Halpin Web log, (August 27, ).

City Beat, (August 27, ), Angela Culbertson, review of It Takes a Worried Man.

University of Colony Gazette Online, (August 27, ), interview with Halpin.