For May's American Cemetery & Cremation, I interviewed 5 popular Instagram taphophiles. In the article they talk about why they photograph cemetery monuments, what they look for, and what they hope to impart to readers.
Gardens of Stone
Monday, May 2, 2022
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
A Pocket of Peace
Monday, October 5, 2020
Windows into Long Island's Past
This month's 'American Cemetery & Cremation' magazine contains my article 'Windows into Long Island's Past.' For the piece, I profiled six of the Island's noteworthy cemeteries --Long Island National, Mount Ararat, Holy Rood, Locust Valley, Memorial Cemetery of St. John's Episcopal & All Saints --along with photos.
American Cemetery & Cremation is a must-read magazine for taphophiles, and now is a perfect time to become a subscriber, if you're not already. This month, American Cemetery & Cremation is offering a year's worth of issues at the low price of $25.00 (that's little more than a $1.00 per issue). You can click on this link to subscribe.
Friday, October 2, 2020
Moonrise at Green-Wood Cemetery
Last night, I attended a most unique event at Green-Wood Cemetery with my friend & fellow funeral director, Doris Amen. It was a two mile stroll through the grounds, after dark, on a perfect fall evening . Along the way, we encountered performance artists stationed in and around some of Green-Wood’s many notable mausoleums and monuments. Food stations, too, were available.
Our ties to Green-Wood run deep. Doris is the cemetery’s “go to” funeral director, having handled the funerals of the cemetery president’s family, as well as many of the staff’s loved ones. While I, enamored with the grounds from my very first visit as a funeral director, wrote a book about the place. During the researching and writing process, I traversed the grounds countless times. Still, seeing it at night is something extra-special. Even in the dark, we discovered new sites and saw others in a different light. Highlights were the Currier (of Currier & Ives) monument lit up in pink, and the Charlotte Canda Gothic memorial (a perennial favorite) illuminated by candles.
When at last we came to the end of the trail, we were sad to see the night end. But we have our memories, and lots of photos, some of which we shared on Instagram.
Thursday, October 1, 2020
He Wrote Well (and wanted us to do the same)
In August, I was given a tour of All Saints Cemetery, on Long Island in preparation for an article I was working on. It was a real thrill for me, as a writer -- and taphophile -- to be shown the grave of William Zinsser, the author of "On Writing Well." Such an unexpected name in an unexpected place. I've included the cemetery & his name, along with my latest article --Windows into Long Island's Past -- for American Cemetery & Cremation magazine.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
What He Did For Love.
Sunday, July 5, 2020
The Fortunoff Family
5 Taphophiles
For May's American Cemetery & Cremation , I interviewed 5 popular Instagram taphophiles. In the article they talk about why they ph...

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This monument is to the DeFeo family, who were all murdered in their Amityville, LI home in November of 1974. Ronald DeFeo Sr., his wife L...
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"A Pocket of Peace," a profile of Hartsdale Pet Cemetery, in Westchester, New York, is the cover story for November's Americ...
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Hungarian-born journalist and newspaper publisher, Joseph Pulitzer, was born Jozsef Politzer in 1847. Several years after the death of his ...
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At the 1972 funeral of Jackie Robinson, 2,500 people packed Riverside Church in New York City. New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, NY C...
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Frank Costello, born Francesco Castiglia, was luckier than most of his mob cronies --he died a natural death at the age of 82. Having surviv...
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Way back when, the first significant monument I was introduced to at Green-Wood was the "bride." So significant was this that I ...
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One of the most unique mausoleums to be found in Atlanta’s Oakland Cemetery is that of successful Atlanta businessman, Jasper Newton Smith. ...
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One of the most ornate monuments in Green-Wood is that of Charlotte Canda, who died in 1845, on her 17th birthday. Canda’s death was th...
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This Norman Revival hillside tomb, which contains the remains of the Lispenard Stewart family, was designed by James Fenwick in 1889. The...
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This open –air mausoleum --resembling a gazebo – was built for Marc Antony Zambetti, grandson of the Stella D’Oro Biscuit Company’s found...