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"Kaleidoscope
of Many Shapes & Colors"
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About the Author... William Derringer
I was born in South Philadelphia in 1940 (seems like only yesterday) and I spent my life creating stories, books, and eventually award winning plays in New York, New Jersey, California and Bethlehem, PA. In 1956, I discovered Moss Hart's best selling book Act One, I was mesmerized by the writer's process and felt such a personal passion for it. I was determined to find my own voice as a writer and reach readers and audiences younger and older. We all have our artistic mentors and Moss Hart was my first.
After acting in my first semi-professional play in Philadelphia there was no holding me back. The next few years I worked at doing everything so I would learn as much as I could about theatre. At seventeen I started to apprentice at the summer stock theatre - Playhouse in the Park in Philadelphia, where I worked doing props for Margaret Hamilton -- The Wicked Witch of the West. A woman who was truly wonderful, and personally sweet. She became a friend of mine for years afterwards. As each production rehearsed for their opening night I'd watch Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, and Geraldine Page. They all became my Professors and they were so kind and open to answer any questions I might have. Geraldine had a deep effect on my growing up in theatre. She would take us apprentices out of coffee and cake every night and talk about her own experiences and those words and stories she told us lifted our curious young minds spirits.
The years that followed were rich in experience. After moving to New York and working off Broadway and studying at HB Studio with William Hickey and Charles Nelson Reilly I auditioned and was hired for several summers as a resident character actor and later as writer-director at The Minor Latham Theatre at Barnard College and as a guest director at Columbia University. A year after my active military duty in 1965 I moved back to New York and studied with Stanley Richards who was then editor and writer for the Best Short Play series and he became my private writing coach. Stanley taught me the craft of rewrites and how to cut out the extraneous material.
During my own development as a writer I have never forgotten all of the help I had along the way. In Hollywood, California I worked on the theatre faculty at The University of Judaism and was their Playwright in residence for three years. I co-directed weekly playwright's lab workshops at their Nomads Theatre. In 1991 shortly after I moved to Albuquerque I became dramaturge and produced playwright of the South West Writer's Lab. Following that, I spent two summers teaching promising writers from all around the country through Celebrate Youth that was co-sponsored by the University of New Mexico and our second season was held at The College of Santa Fe.
Writing Short Stories and novellas became my next projects. "Kaleidoscope of Many Shapes and Colors" is my first short story anthology. At the present time I'm finishing my own inspirational and heartwarming book 'The Passion That Bites Back." I hope to inspire and uplift young actors and writers to devote their lives and talents to the creative arts.
A description of Kaleidoscope of Many Shapes and Colors
Dear Readers, this book of realistic short stories is in several sections, family relationships from childhood to our teens, to lifetime friendships and loves throughout our lives. Our hopes and dreams follow us into adulthood and our senior days. The love and trust of friendships, people who always inspired you and became your second family. As we grow up in a sometime cold and bitter world, we all find the warmth that surrounds us and helps us uplift our insecurities, and gives to us the confidence to go forward with our lives.
These stories were written from my heart, my inward feelings and my imagination. There is a reality stemming back from early childhood when I would sit in my grandmother Sarah's kitchen. This was her kingdom where she would tell me stories of her voyage here to America from the old country. As I listened to them, even then at such a young age, my writer's ear was soaking up everything she said.
Even today when I ride on a bus, or a subway, or a plane, or in a coffee shop my writer's eyes and ears are drawing everything around me. I know it's a gift but sometimes it's a curse as well. The writer within me is always trying to fill my stories with a special sense of awareness. The sadness in someone's eyes, the sweetness, of someone's smile. The delicate hand of a mother holding onto her young son's hand and as she looks into his eyes she reassures him that he is loved.
I hope that these stories will stay within your minds, spirits and hearts. I don't know about you, but I'm an easy cry when I read something that has touched me I get so involved that I don't even realize that I've been crying for over ten minutes, it's as if the person in the story is someone very close to me. In a film it's up on the screen and it touches you but it is different with a story. You can pick it up one day and it becomes your friend and it will always be there for you. It will uplift you as you read it and it will make you smile and if it makes you laugh, that is even better.
I feel like I already know you. I hope that you too will relate to each and every story in Kaleidoscope of Many Shapes and Colors. ENJOY!
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