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Michael McGrinder

Goodreads Author

Born

in NYC, The United States

March 30

Website

http://www.michaelmcgrinder.com

Twitter

mmcgrinder

Genre

Fiction, Spirituality, Poetry

Influences

Dylan Thomas, A.E. Houseman, T.S. Eliot, Ibsen, Strindberg, Pirandello ...more

Member Since

July 2012

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/michaelmcgrinder

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I spent much of my adult life writing and directing plays, but there is no option for drama or plays or theatre in the genre section of author’s biography. I was lucky enough to be part of the generation that created Off-Off-Broadway, now often referred to as Off-Off’s Golden Years. It was a wonderful time and I am now writing a memoir about it, One Hell of a Past. I am also publishing my plays via amazon and smashwords. Under the aegis of The Old Reliable Press oldreliablepress.com, I publish plays from early Off-Off that are in danger of being lost to us forever.

I grew up in the rough and tumble South Bronx section of New York City. I spent my early twenties in England enjoying a vital poetry scene and acquiring a taste for and an interes I spent much of my adult life writing and directing plays, but there is no option for drama or plays or theatre in the genre section of author’s biography. I was lucky enough to be part of the generation that created Off-Off-Broadway, now often referred to as Off-Off’s Golden Years. It was a wonderful time and I am now writing a memoir about it, One Hell of a Past. I am also publishing my plays via amazon and smashwords. Under the aegis of The Old Reliable Press oldreliablepress.com, I publish plays from early Off-Off that are in danger of being lost to us forever.

I grew up in the rough and tumble South Bronx section of New York City. I spent my early twenties in England enjoying a vital poetry scene and acquiring a taste for and an interest in theatre. Returning to New York, I lived on the Lower East Side and quickly became involved in the developing Off-Off-Broadway scene, so new at the time it was generally referred to as café theatre.

My first production, a double-bill of one-act plays, was given life at The Playwrights Workshop. I then began showing my work at the legendary Old Reliable Theatre Tavern, located in the funky back room of a Polish bar in a dangerous section of the East Village. “It’s easy to find. Just turn left at the burning automobile,” and “No wonder we get such good crowds. Everyone’s afraid to come here alone.” My plays were also produced at such leading theaters as La Mama, Bastiano’s Cellar, The Playbox Studio and at The Library Theatre of Lincoln Center.

I published Proscenium, a newsletter which The Village Voice described as “Off-Off talking to itself.” I also hosted a weekly cable TV show of the same name presenting excerpts from Off-Off shows and interviews with the production’s writer, director and actors. The show was later rechristened Michael McGrinder Presents to allow for an expanded format.

Along with artists Judy Pendleton and Helen Lau, I was a founding member of Artists Rights Association, an organization devoted to securing reproduction rights and royalties for artists as well as encouraging artists to use copyright symbols on their work.

My plays have been published by The Smith, Breakthrough Press and Dramatics Magazine and by And/Or Books. I am included in The Off-Off Broadway Book and, more recently, in Primary StagesOff-Broadway Oral History Project, and in The Downtown Pop Underground.

My personal website is michaelmcgrinder.com ...more

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Combine Editions
Michael McGrinder’s books

Average rating: 4.29 · 14 ratings · 3 reviews · 16 distinct works

	Poet's Model 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Foreigners it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1969 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Confessions of Isobel Gowdie 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2016 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mary liked it 3.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Heathen Piper (Scene Award Series) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1979	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	One Hell Of A Past: A Memoir of Early Off-Off-Broadway it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Snow Business 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Share 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The No Name Murders 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Poet's Model: abookofpoems 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Michael McGrinder's Blog

Profile

I have finally gotten around to updating my profile. I thought it worth mentioning the oral history of Off-Off--Broadway in which I participated and which can be found on line, and a book where I am briefly quoted.

Besides, my open heart surgery was three years ago, with a one-year update. It hardly qualifies as newsworthy.

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Published on May 25, 2019 18:45 • Tags: interview, oral-history, update

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Michael is Currently Reading

Michael McGrinder is currently reading

Spoken Bones (DI Fenella Sallow, #1)

by N.C. Lewis (Goodreads Author)

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Oct 13, 2024 04:44AM

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A Spy Alone

by Charles Beaumont

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The Doll's House

by Lisa Unger (Goodreads Author)

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Sep 25, 2024 08:59PM

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Michael McGrinder finished reading One Hell Of A Past: A Memoir of Early Off Off-Broadway by Michael McGrinder (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 16, 2026 03:01PM · like
Michael McGrinder is currently reading One Hell Of A Past: A Memoir of Early Off Off-Broadway by Michael McGrinder (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 14, 2026 12:36PM · like
Michael McGrinder finished reading Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas by Elaine Pagels	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Feb 06, 2026 04:43PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael McGrinder finished reading The Sympathizer (The Sympathizer #1) by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Michael McGrinder wants to read Sexplosion: From Andy Warhol to A Clockwork Orange— How a Generation of Pop Rebels Broke All the Taboos – An Illuminating History of Sexual Liberation in 1970s Entertainment by Robert Hofler	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 01, 2025 01:56AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Sexplosion by Robert Hofler. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Sexplosion by Robert Hofler <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael McGrinder rated a book it was amazing One Hell Of A Past: A Memoir of Early Off-Off-Broadway by Michael McGrinder (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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Michael McGrinder wants to read Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas by Elaine Pagels	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 02, 2025 11:03PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Michael McGrinder rated a book it was amazing Caffe Cino: The Birthplace of Off-Off-Broadway (Theater in the Americas) by Wendell C. Stone	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 06, 2024 01:40AM · like

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Michael’s Quotes

“Imagination should be used, not to escape reality, but to create it.”
― Colin Wilson

tags: colin-wilson, creativity, imagination, life

97 likes

“Why is it every other person you meet says they're an artist? A real artist doesn't need to gas on about it, he doesn't have time. He does his work and sweats it out in silence, and no one can help him at all.”
― Paula McLain, The Paris Wife

tags: artists-life

70 likes

“We have to change the world to fit us, not the other way around.”
― Halt and Catch Fire

tags: change, self-awareness, the-world

0 likes

“It isn't freedom from. It's freedom to.”
― Jean Paul Sartre

tags: freedom, sartre

16 likes

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
― Albert Einstein

tags: 1929, viereck-interview

37614 likes

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Michael’s Groups

All About Books — 3836 members — last activity 2 hours, 40 min ago
We're here because we like reading and we like chatting about reading. But we are here especially because we strongly believe that reading is not just ...more

¡ POETRY ! — 22487 members — last activity Oct 07, 2026 06:07PM
No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read No pretensions: just poetry. Stop by, recommend books, offer up poems (excerpted), tempt us, taunt us, tell us what to read and where to go (to read it!) Goodreads honors wordsmiths: poets and poetry promoted and prompted here. ~~~ "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." -- Carl Sandburg “God has a brown voice, as soft and full as beer.” —Anne Sexton On Clouds – “…what primitive tastes the ancients must have had if their poets were inspired by those absurd, untidy clumps of mist, idiotically jostling one another about…” —Yevgeny Zamyatin “If the poet wants to be a poet, the poet must force the poet to revise. If the poet doesn’t wish to revise, let the poet abandon poetry and take up stamp-collecting or real estate.” —Donald Hall “Poetry is a rich, full-bodied whistle, cracked ice crunching in pails, the night that numbs the leaf, the duel of two nightingales, the sweet pea that has run wild, Creation’s tears in shoulder blades.” —Boris Pasternak “Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket.” —Charles Simic “Language is a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to, while all the time we long to move the stars to pity.” —Gustave Flaubert “Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It’s that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that’s what the poet does.” —Allen Ginsberg. ~~~~~ Amy King, Moderator Amy King is the recipient of the 2015 Winner of the WNBA Award (Women’s National Book Association). Her latest collection, The Missing Museum, is a winner of the 2015 Tarpaulin Sky Book Prize. She serves on the executive board of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts and is co-editing with Heidi Lynn Staples the anthology, Big Energy Poets of the Anthropocene: When Ecopoets Think Climate Change. She is also co-editing the anthology, Bettering American Poetry 2015, and is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at SUNY Nassau Community College. ...more

BOOK LOVERS! — 681 members — last activity Oct 07, 2026 05:33AM
Whether you hate, love or just don't care about books, this is still the place to be. Please, join us. We have discussions and games and just about an ...more

THE Group for Authors! — 13107 members — last activity Oct 22, 2026 06:10AM
This is a group for authors to discuss their craft, as well as publishing and book marketing.

Perpetual (Pro)motion — 24 members — last activity Jan 19, 2016 04:46PM
This is a forum for authors and reviewers to use with minimal interference from the moderator. It works on the principle of all members taking persona ...more

Support for Indie Authors — 16793 members — last activity 20 hours, 12 min ago
Officially 15k Members Strong & Climbing!! Building and supporting a community of self-published authors dedicated to both sharing experiences and le ...more

How to Promote YOUR book on Amazon — 8843 members — last activity Oct 19, 2026 11:16AM
Are YOU an author? If so I am sure you are aware of how hard it can be to market your book successfully. There is so much you can do on Amazon.com to ...more

Fringe Fiction Unlimited — 2293 members — last activity Oct 18, 2026 10:35AM
Publishing is rich with hidden gems and diamonds in the rough that belong to self-published, indie, and otherwise underappreciated authors. Our focu ...more

Creative Reviews — 3878 members — last activity Oct 21, 2026 04:06AM
This group is a way to gather together people who like to write book reviews as well as advertise their book review blogs. With enough people we will ...more

Review Group — 5945 members — last activity 3 hours, 8 min ago
Reviews are very important for Self-Published (SP), and Indie authors, just as they are for others. Unfortunately, though, many SP/Indie books don't g ...more

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Michael’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-5) post a comment »

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message 5: by Michael

Nov 27, 2025 07:20PM

If ever you need to index a book, I strongly recommend avoiding indexing programs. I used two, and I estimate the damage from each cost me a year's work.

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message 4: by Michael

Jan 21, 2016 07:14PM

Just posted a new poem Look Inside for the February ¡ POETRY ! competition.

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message 3: by Michael

Sep 05, 2014 06:37PM

My review of Franz Wright's poetry collection God's Silence is now live on GR.

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message 2: by Michael

Sep 05, 2014 03:02PM

Copies of my poetry collection Poet's Model are in the post, on the way to the Goodreads giveaway winners. Please let me know that they have arrived safely. Thanks again for your interest, and congratulations on winning.

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message 1: by Michael

Sep 01, 2014 12:13PM

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for my poetry collection, and congratulations to the winners.

In the same day my own giveaway closes, I win a giveaway. I love how active, interactive and proactive this site is

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