When life goes wrong, isn’t that the right time to lighten it with humor?” People are eager, almost desperate for grief relief and I try my very best to provide it. Time and time again I watched people enter my seminars and workshops stiff and stressed and they leave relaxed and hopeful, like they just breathed in fresh air.

Who Am I…? and Who Wants to Know?

I’ve been writing comedy for over 40 years. Few subjects are off limits to me because as we laugh about it, the pain chips away. After Jimmy, my high school sweetheart and husband for 33 years died in 2006 I did what came natural to me. I wrote about it and then spoke about it.

My comic essays have been published in The New York Times, Newsday, the Hartford Courant, and dozens of weekly publications, including the Pathfinder, Queens Tribune, Fire Island Tide. I contributed to and wrote the foreword to Grief Diaries, Loss of a Spouse - A Collection of Intimate Stories About the Loss of a Spouse edited by Lynda Cheldelin Fell.

I revamped, my comedy ARE YOU DEE DOCTOR? about a women named DEE who marries Marty Doctor and becomes Dee Doctor. The trouble begins when a couple seeking therapy finds her sitting at her friend’s (the real shrink) desk they ask her ARE YOU DEE DOCTOR? and she says, “Yes, yes I am.” She becomes their therapist.

I'm excited about my new two character play, POOR WIDOW ME. It’s based on my book, but with many fictionalized twists. When Penny (my character) rehearses and records my memoir with a man she just met (Ira) she becomes increasingly alarmed by his erratic behavior.

I’m writing a proposal for a book of tongue-in-cheek essays about what it’s really like to be a grandma, but not just a grandma, a grandma boomer. It’s called “SOME KIDS PEAK IN NURSERY SCHOOL & other wisecracks from a grandma boomer.” Every so often I’ll put a smidge of a chapter in this blog. You guys can be my guinea pig and hopefully leave a helpful comment.

I recently dusted off another book of essays I wrote as Dr. Friendship several years ago and I’m getting it in shape to publish. DR. FRIENDSHIP POINTS STUFF OUT is 40 essays about female friendships (Female Friendships Are a Bitch was my original title) An example of the essays:

“If Your Friend Tells You You’re Just Like Family, You’ve Been Demoted.”

“If You’re Your Own Best Friend, You Need To Get Out More.”

I’ll put an essay from this collection every so often in the blog, too.

And, this is other stuff about me:

I’m a founding member and Director of Programs for the nonprofit Manhattan Playwrights, Inc and I’ve written many one-act plays for their festivals around Manhattan. Comedian Sherry Davey and I collaborated on MY SISTER’S KEEPER, a serious comedy about the family of a fireman killed in 911. It workshopped for two weeks at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre in Manhattan.

For five years I was a proud board member of Primary Stages, a non-profit, off – broadway theater company affiliated with 59E59 Theater founded 40 years ago by Casey Childs.

I was an active member of the New York Friars Club from 1998 until 2019 where I headed a committee and was a contributor to their distinguished and widely read Friar’s Epistle. Google Friars Club and you’ll see that that their illegal and immoral shenanigans collided with my and other Friars sense of fair play. Our need to speak up for transparency unfortunately collided with our membership.And, now, sadly, the Friars Club has closed its doors permanently.

For fun to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Gong Show I performed at the Lighthouse as Peggy Da Pigeon where legend Chuck Barris proclaimed, “You’re my kind of act.” I’m still not sure if I oughta be happy about this.

I have a grown daughter and son, (but are they ever, really?) and a perfect granddaughter, Skylar, born in 2004. Miraculously, another perfect granddaughter, Sammi came along in 2012 and perfect Vanessa in 2015! My perfect little grandson, Gino was born in 2024. Did I mention they were perfect?

I sold the house where we raised our kids in January 2014 and for ten years I lived happily in Manhattan with my Morkie, Tony Baloney. Now my furry roommate on Long Island is my Havanese Frankie.