BRILL, Steve 1949- (Wildman Steve Brill)

PERSONAL: Born March, 1949, in NY; son of Henry (in sales) and Helga (a homemaker) Brill; married June 16, 2002; wife's name Leslie-Ann (a medical writer, editor, and managing editor). Education: George Washington University, B.A. Politics: Green. Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Jazz music.

ADDRESSES: Home and offıce—320 Palmer Terr., Apt. 2A, Mamaroneck, NY. E-mail—wildmansteve@ bigfoot.com.

CAREER: Freelance naturalist and writer. Conducts ecology tours in New York, NY; also worked in the city as a park naturalist.

WRITINGS:

Shoots and Greens of Early Spring, privately printed, 1986.

Identifying and Harvesting Edible and MedicinalPlants in Wild (and Not-So-Wild) Places, William Morrow (New York, NY), 1994.

The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook: A Forager's CulinaryGuide (in the Field or in the Supermarket) to Preparing and Savoring Wild (and Not So Wild) Natural Foods, with More Than 500 Recipes, Harvard Common Press (Boston, MA), 2002.

Some writings appear under the name Wildman Steve Brill.

WORK IN PROGRESS: "Foraging with the Wildman," a videotape series; continuing experimentation with edible wild plants, mushrooms, and other natural ingredients in the kitchen.

SIDELIGHTS: Steve Brill told CA: "I began writing as part of a career as an environmental educator. I hope to teach people about our overlooked edible/medicinal plants and what to do with them, as well as to increase environmental awareness.

"I write whenever my other activities permit. My first two books covered foraging, my third, cooking with vegan and wild ingredients. Everyone I read has been of some influence. There's so much excellent writing around I can barely scratch the surface.

"Aspiring writers should learn about the subject matter and put their hearts into expressing themselves in their writing."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Audubon, September, 2000, Keith Kloor, "The Man Who Eats Manhattan," p. 18.

New York Times, July 27, 1987, Jane Gross, "Foragers in Central Park Stalk the Wild Lamb's-Quarters," p. B1; May 30, 1990, "Parks Dept. Wildman May Have to Eat In," p. B2; September 27, 1995, Suzanne Hamlin, "A Naturalist Takes Foraging into the Mainstream," p. C6.

New York Times Book Review, June 5, 1994, Anne Raver, review of Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not-So-Wild) Places, p. 53.

Publishers Weekly, April 1, 2002, review of The WildVegetarian Cookbook: A Forager's Culinary Guide (in the Field or in the Supermarket) to Preparing and Savoring Wild (and Not So Wild) Natural Foods, with More Than 500 Recipes, p. 74.

Total Health, July-August, 2002, review of The WildVegetarian Cookbook, p. 14.

ONLINE

Wildman Steve Brill Home Page,http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/ (August 14, 2003).