Joseph A. Citro

Native Vermonter, novelist, and public radio commentator, Joseph A. Citro has done a lot to keep New England's history and folklore alive in the popular culture. His twelve books include five novels of suspense, three volumes of historical oddities, a collection of regional humor, two travel guides, and a co-edited book of essays.

Mr. Citro's classic and best-selling Green Mountain Ghosts, Ghouls and Unsolved Mysteries (Houghton Mifflin 1994) was the most comprehensive collection of offbeat Vermont lore ever assembled and is now in its 10th printing.

It was supplemented by Passing Strange (1996), Green Mountains, Dark Tales (1999), The Vermont Ghost Guide (2000), and Curious New England (2003).

His novels -- three of which have been optioned for motion pictures -- present a dark and mystical side of the Vermont experience. They include Shadow Child, Guardian Angels, The Gore, Lake Monsters and Deus-X.

Since 1992 his commentary series on Vermont Public Radio has featured the state's best-loved ghosts, monsters, madmen, and mysteries. He is an expert in Vermont's occult lore, including Spiritualism.

A native of Chester, Vermont, his checkered past includes a variety of jobs, from pumping gas, to landscaping, teaching English as a second language, hospitality work, counseling, and working in state government.

Since becoming a professional writer in 1987, he has taught in local colleges, lectured widely, and appeared on regional and national radio and television. A video based on his collection of Vermont oddities is currently in the works. His audio book, Joe Citro's WEIRD VERMONT was released in September 2003.