Bipeds of Brookland: Tom Kirlin

Posted by Abbott Klar Real Estate on Friday, December 2nd, 2016 at 9:25am

Bipeds of Brookland: Tom Kirlin

Tom Kirlin

Tom Kirlin moved to Brookland in 1979 and having grown up in the country “missed the Midwestern open space and wanted light on all four sides.” He found a house, built in 1907 on a half-acre lot with over 20 kinds of trees, being sold by the estate of a Howard University Doctor. He bought it completely furnished, including a harp and a baby grand piano, but on the first night he found the attic was filled with pans collecting water leaking from the roof. He fixed up the house and got to know Brookland playing basketball with the neighborhood kids.

 

Tom is a writer whose career has included teaching literature at the University in Wisconsin.

 

“I last taught ‘science fiction and fantasy as mythology’ though my area is mostly Romantic poetry. I came here to work on a book at the Library of Congress and turned to freelance writing.” This led him to work for various organizations. “I got into international side of energy, and did a lot of traveling” participating in climate change negotiations.

 

He also started his own company producing several radio shows “I had a radio show called ‘Radio Guide to Computers’ on 60 stations.” He later worked for The Center for Study of the Presidency. “I did my month’s work and walked away and they called and asked can you help run our fellows program in Washington. So I did and 11 years later, after becoming a board member and several other things I retired a couple of years ago.”

 

Tom and his wife Katherine compiled theSmithsonian Folklife Cookbook, with recipes from the first 25 years of the Folklife Festival where she had worked.  He won theLarry Neal DC Writers Competition for poetry in the late 80s and few years ago published a book of poetry called‘Under the Potato Moon.’  He has written poems about Brookland and read them at local events.

Bipeds of Brookland: A weekly series introducing the people who make Brookland their home, one step at a time.
Article and photo by Tom Sabella.

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