Midwest Writers Room

Season 3, Ep. 1 - Nicholas Chiarkas, January 2025

• Luella and Ken

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Bio:

Nick Chiarkas  is a frequent writers’ conference presenter, a Wisconsin Writers Association Board Member, and the author of nine traditionally published books: two award-winning novels, Weepers and Nunzio's Way, and seven nonfiction books. He grew up in the Al Smith housing projects on Manhattan's Lower East Side. When he was in the fourth grade, his mother was told by the principal of PS-1 that "Nick was unlikely ever to complete high school, so you must steer him toward a simple and secure vocation."

Instead, Nick became a writer, with a few stops along the way: 

  • a U.S. Army Paratrooper, 
  • a New York City Police Officer, 
  • Deputy Chief Counsel to the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, 
  • Deputy Chief Counsel for the President's Commission on Organized Crime; 
  • Chief Counsel for the USATBCB; 
  • and the Director of the Wisconsin State Public Defender Agency. 
  • On the way, he picked up a Doctorate from Columbia University, a Law Degree from Temple University, and was a Pickett Fellow at Harvard. How many mothers are told that their children are hopeless? How many kids with potential surrender to despair? That's why Nick wrote Weepers and Nunzio's Way — for them.

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People on this episode

Contributor

Ken Humphrey

Co-host
Head Shot

Luella Schmidt

Co-host