Mark D Ransom

Mark David Ransom—Born on Staten Island, I come from a long line of craftsmen. My Italian immigrant great-grandfather worked on the world famous Brooklyn Bridge. My German/Irish father practiced his trade at the 1964 World’s Fair and on the State Capital in Albany, New York. I spent many years restoring masonry buildings in the five boroughs, including the Brooklyn Museum and the Empire State Building. I am the son of a slate roofer and a bookkeeper, educated by the public school system of New York City. At the College of Staten Island I was a founding member of WSIA FM where I was a DJ and Sports caster while earning my BA in English. A few of my favorite crafts have been making song and theater. I’ve done poetry slams at the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe and readings at Reckless in Hell’s Kitchen. I am a proud member the White Horse Theater Company. A lifelong resident of New York City, I have been a poet, actor, and singer/songwriter. As a building inspector and civil servant, living in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, I witnessed the events of September 11, 2001, from a unique perspective, one that provided me with the inspiration for this, my first volume of published poetry. In my official capacity as an inspector, I document the physical damage of city buildings. As a poet, I investigate the emotional and psychological topography of a new era. This chronicle in verse, dedicated to the city of my birth, is written with words of healing, admiration, respect, and love.