Hello . . .

Thanks for dropping in . . .

Welcome to my life . . .

I’ve gathered up my magazine articles, samples of my short stories, essays, books, and photographs and put them in one place. Poke around. There’s a lot to see and read. After all, I’ve been at this for some time.

I've been telling  stories since I was old enough to talk.  I've worked in radio, television, on newspapers and magazines, authored a few books, published hundreds of magazine articles, made thousands of photographs, created a few videos. I've built businesses, launched a summer school and founbded a college. And, I've owned and sailed 4 different sailboats and skippered a few others.

Most of my creative work has involved writing about my adventures, voyages, my explorations into fear, into the very nature of creativity itself, even being a father.  I’ve climbed mountain and skied down them, often too fast out of control. Why? To scare the bejesus out of myself. I want to feel what it's like to loose control, to live on  the other side of "my comfort zone." To face the fear. I’ve sailed 50,000 miles, most of it offshore, alone, for much the same reasons. I've owned four sailboats, why? To explore the sea, far off islands, to live with nature. I've surviving three hurricanes, just to see if I could. All these adventures have taught me something, given me something to write about, to share. This became my career.

Back in 1973, I launched a summer school for my fellow storytellers. It wasn’t that I had anything to teach them, it was because I had a lot to learn from them. What I learned was not what I’ve expected. What I did learn, as is often the case with any adventure, was I had arrive at a different port, a far better port. It was, I discovered, the voyage itself, not the destination, that was the teacher.

One of my favorite places, besides Maine, is the West Indies, specifically the Eastern Caribbean Islands. When not in Maine skiing, sailing, or writing, I can be found among those islands. Behind me is Mount Pelee, towering above the village of Saint Pierre on the French island of Martinique.

Facing and overcoming the fear of failure, lack of resources, inadequate skills, my own impatience these provide the important lessons, lessons I  use and will use on my next adventure.

"Success is suffering repeated failures with no loss in enthusiasm." Winsten Churchill.

Much of what I learned you'll find spread out in this website.

Excuse me . . . I have to go . . . another adventure calls.

Here's my latest project:

The Caribbean Writers

& Photographers Retreat.

David H. Lyman

Camden, Maine, and occasionally in English Harbour, Antigua