Beyond the Parrot Man
People tend to think of me as the “parrot man.” When they see me on the street, they often say, “Hey! Aren't you the parrot guy?” I always fess up, but the fact is, my involvement with the flock ended several years ago. Before I encountered the parrots I was on a particular journey, and the parrots were part of that journey. There was something I needed to learn from them. Having learned it, I moved on. I still watch over them, making sure that no one exploits them, and I always will. But the parrots never depended on me for their day-to-day survival. It would have been disastrous for them if they had. They are wild, self-sufficient creatures. And, as anyone who visits San Francisco will see, the flock is thriving. There are currently more than 200 of them.
My Work as a Writer
These days, my preoccupations are those of a writer. It's been a natural progression for me. When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a novelist. But making a living as a writer seemed too hard. So I abandoned that dream, and went out into the world to live my life, never imagining that the path I followed would bring me back to writing. I have one published book, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, and I'm currently working on another, Street Song. As time allows, I work on other things—essays, songs and poems, a blog—and I'll post them here. My interest is not simply to have fun with words and to tell stories—although those are two of the few joys that writing brings! What I would like is to help make this a better world. We're in pretty sad shape right now. We need to change, and soon, before we do ourselves in. I think that's really true. I also believe that the door to new possibilities is beginning to open, and that humanity will have one more chance to turn things around. Maybe our last chance.
My wife, Judy Irving, and I have an e-mail list that will keep you up to date on our various creative activities. It's called bookandfilm@earthlink.net. Mailings are infrequent. If you'd like to sign up, click the address.