About Lou

A child of Wildwood, NJ, I picked up an undergraduate degree from Temple University…then things got less linear.

While working full-time as a Philadelphia-based magazine journalist, I spent nearly ten years as a professional stand up comic and, for two of those years, ran a children’s theater company. You may have seen me for 14 seconds on “America’s Funniest People.”

I phased out the stand-up work when publishers took an interest in my books, which have collectively sold more than a million-and-a-half copies. They include “The Little Book of Misquotations” (Cider Mill Press), “The High Impact Infidelity Diet: A Novel” (Random House–optioned by Warner Bros — a re-optioned by Warner Bros but, alas, never filmed by Warner Bros or anyone else), “Creative Block” (Running Press), “Kid Culture” (Cider Mill Press), “The Encyclopedia of Guilty Pleasures” (Quirk Books) and the novelization of “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (Penguin).

Yes, you read that last one right. Why is the book no longer available? Ask me next time you see me.

To be honest, the one that sold most of those copies was “The Voodoo Kit” (Running Press) but it’s still a pretty impressive number, don’t you think?

Journalism work continued when my family and I relocated to Indianapolis, leading to my role as founding editor/co-creator of the award-winning, ground-breaking, I’m-still-stinking-proud-of-it Indy Men’s Magazine where I had the honor of working with such writers as Dan Barden, David Gerrold, Todd Tobias, and Michael Kun. The demise of IMM led to a great gig as Arts & Entertainment Editor for the Indianapolis Business Journal and IBJ.com/arts.  Great, at least, until new ownership decided they could do without me, so I moved on. Well, was moved on. You know.

Now I’m firmly anchored at the national office of the Society of Professional Journalists, where I edit its magazine, Quill, and run its many, many, many awards programs for professional and college journalists. Introduce yourself if you see me around at the next SPJ convention.

Still freelancing, too. Often for Indianapolis Monthly and Midwest Film Journal. I also write a lot about board games, which has led to hosting tabletop game events at conventions, at private parties, and, weekly via Game Night Social at the Garage Food Hall in Indianapolis. Come play sometime if you are in the neighborhood.

A board member of the American Theatre Critics Association, I chaired its New Play Committee, which administers the Steinberg and Osborn awards. Now I help organize and run ATCA’s national conventions. I was thrilled to be a part of the USC/Annenberg Engine 28 and Engine 31 pop-up newsroom projects and was honored with a Creative Renewal Grant from the Arts Council of Indianapolis.

I also won the Moosehead Beer Amateur Comedy Contest back a few decades ago but, alas, no longer have the antlered hat that was part of the prize.

That Arts Council grant helped push my play writing into a higher gear. My produced stage work includes “Rita From Across the Street” (premiered by American Lives Theatre), “Midwestern Hemisphere” (premiered by Heartland Actors Repertory Theatre), “Lightning and Jellyfish” and “Clutter: Or, the Moving Walkway Will Soon Be Coming to an End” (both premiered at Theatre on the Square), “Popular Monsters” (Catalyst Rep)  and the long-running hit live auction comedy “Going…Going…Gone.” You can find my plays on the New Play Exchange or just shoot me a note and ask if you’d like to give one a read and/or consider producing.

I developed “We Are Still Tornadoes” at Butler University Theatre, where it opened the 18/19 season. An industry reading in New York followed with some top Broadway talent. Then the pandemic hit and, well, you know.

I directed my play “Rita from Across the Street” for American Lives Theatre and a one-night fundraiser feature my “Balsa Wood” for Indy Convergence.

But enough about me…