About the Author

Bernhard Kirstein

  • Habitat: Kidnapped from Aalen, Germany in 1956 at the age of two by parents and taken to Chicago. At 21 escaped to Albuquerque.  Lived in the Southwest for 20 years before migrating to a Boston suburb in 2001 to raise second offspring. Still there.

  • Reproduction: Married with two sons.

  • Adaptations: Enrolled in an all-black grade school at the age of 5, in lederhosen and without English speaking skills. Was very well treated. B of A in Psychology – University of Illinois at Chicago, led to work as a machinist. University of New Mexico – worked towards Master of Architecture  and had thesis approved, but didn’t complete , led to rental property development and becoming a landlord. University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth – Master of Public Policy – worked as a Director of Public Housing, recently retired.

  • Support Organizations: Worcester Writers Workshop 

  • Readings: Chicago Fires – short stories , memoirs based on Chicago in the 1960-1970 era, Southwest on I-40 – Kerouac type travelogue through the Southwest, The Watcher- Chicago crime thriller , pot boiler,  java brewer. Watch Out ! …another Chicago tale, sequel to The Watcher. Chicago gets destroyed by tornadoes, that’s easy, rebuilding with Chicago’s finest and worst is hard.