: About Me

Peter Menkin lives in Mill Valley, CA USA. An aspiring poet, he is 62 years of age as of 2008. His most recent work is with Infection Prevention, a blog, and Religious Intelligence, a London based website.

Peter worked as an editor with 8-wire.com and there as part of a team revised and clarified the work of science professionals writing on computer security topics. He also was a researcher for the Judge Mathis Television Show where his "beat" was the Oakland, CA USA courthouse, and San Francisco, CA USA courthouse. The job was to file synopsis of small claim court cases that met the editorial criteria of the producers so they could find people to take their small claims court case to the TV show.

His blog is now about 7 or 8 years old and consists of religious and spiritual poetry, book reviews, homilies and comments. His website, created more than 10 years ago, was revised and made more professional in 2004 and is a "personal" website with his poetry and something of his life.

Addendum: Some more about aspiring poet Peter Menkin's writing. His poetry writing, began about 9 or ten years ago, and was a good practice for him. Peter Menkin says, "I am glad I did begin. What's helped with this ongoing project of praise and thanksgiving of God in Christ, is my contemplative practices. As an Oblate of Immaculate Heart Hermitage, I do practice contemplative prayer. The Camaldoli, Benedictines have instructed and inspired, certainly led the way in my practice. Contemplation has fed my poetry and as an aspiring poet I am glad for inspiration. Mostly, I am glad for the prayer practice."

As a note, He has two books to his credit. The first written more than 35 years ago was a contract writing job done in tandem with other writers and editors (there was a researcher, too). The encyclopedia work, not-so-lengthy a book and part of a series of biographies of American Presidents, was written for Symphonette, but published by Mondadori in Italy. The subject was the then just investigated and then resigned-from-office President Richard Nixon. At the time of the writing he lived in a studio apartment on West 81st Street, New York City USA, where he was located for about two years across the street from the Planetarium. He says, "My apartment was on the top floor. Sounds grand, and in my 20s it was a grand experience. I did love New York City (Manhatten)."

The second book is a compilation of columns by humorist Dave Barry: "Bad Habits," a selection of Mr. Barry's columns which were written for and distributed by Feature Associates, a small newspaper syndicate. The syndicate was run and owned by Peter Menkin for six years out of his home in Novato and San Rafael, CA USA circa the 80s, "Bad Habits" remains in print. That Novato and San Rafael locations are north of San Francisco in Marin County.

Feature Associates was listed by Writer's Digest, and one year a "Spotlight" article on Peter Menkin appeared about his role as Editor/Manager. The syndicate was in live contact with more than 1,200 newspapers, mostly in the United States.

You've probably not heard of this newspaper syndicate which offered Mr. Barry's columns once a week (column title: "Life and Related Subjects"). The weekly column had about 50 papers. It is a little known fact of Mr. Barry's early newspaper column career that he wrote his first columns each week for about 3 years under that title and for the just-about obscure Feature Associates.

Peter Menkin says, "Let me add, as I reminisce, I rarely if every changed anything in Mr. Barry's column as he wrote and developed his work from the beginning, for he did so well. My contribution was to comment, criticize, and direct his column writing. Is this editing? I think so. I hope it was contributive to his development as a newspaper columnist.

"Once Mr. Barry remarked I made money stuffing envelope and sending the material to newspapers. Amusing as it was as remark, the truth is Feature Associates was distributed via U.S. mail. It worked well: Never missed a deadline, never late for publication."

For about three years, again circa 1980, Peter Menkin's three year association with "Harper's" magazine, New York City, and Lewis Lapham continued. Peter Menkin remarks, "I consulted with that fine and admirable Mr. Lapham, whom I liked very much. I still think of it as a lucky stroke to have been a 'Harper's' magazine Contributing Editor, and I have a pdf file on each year as an example of a staff pages with my name for every of the three -it really was true. I am glad for the experience and relationship."

My passion is ...

Reading, Church, friends

I know too much about ...

Some of my friends

My parents always told me ...

Don't turn your back on a boiling pot of oatmeal.

My childhood ambition ...

To be in the foreign service. Never did for I am a stay at home body.

My favorite memory ...

The beach as a youngster in Santa Monica

Why I write ...

I enjoy the work

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

"Paul" by N.T. Wright, and "Abadonment to Divine Providence" by de Caussade

My first job ...

Behind the soda counter at the local youth center, Pacific Palisades,

My best moment ...

Getting a good night's sleep

My inspiration ...

The experience of friends and teachers

Religion & Spirituality > Christian Doctrine & Issues What is the purpose of studying theology?

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For some time my interest to write a poem telling what theology is about has failed. What is presented below is one of my attempts, posted to a poet's workshop and the following brief discussion of its failure. The content of the poem remains an explanation of an important aspect of theology, and gives a reason to study the subject for as the "poem" points out, theology helps us in our relationship with God. Rabbi Ginsburg, who speaks of Conservative Judiasm on Youtube, presents a vital concept of what is paramount for religions and living the religious life. Recently, viewing his excellen...

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