ABOUT

ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY

COLLAGES

PHOTOGRAPHY

BLACK AND WHITE

WATERSCAPES

ADIRONDACKS

LIBRARY SCHEDULE/TOPICS

FOUNDING WRITERS

FOUNDING WRITERS, 1 & 2

FOUNDING WRITERS, 3 & 4

FOUNDING WRITERS, 5 & 6

LIBRARY HANDOUTS

UNSUNG HEROES CIVIL RIGHT

NELLY BLY

CLEOPATRA

AFRICAN-AMERICANS/SPACE

TESLA: LIGHTNING MAN

JUDY: OVER THE RAINBOW

EARTHQUAKES VOLCANOES

LANGSTON HUGHES

WOMEN OF THE STARS

TRUTH & TUBMAN

EXECUTIVE ORDER 9981

MARTIN LUTHER KING

THE REAL THANKSGIVING

NEANDERTHALS

SEX IN THE STONE AGE

BANNED BOOKS & CENSORSHIP

EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS

ECLIPSE!

SHAKESPEARE'S VILLAINS

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

SALEM WITCH TRIALS

RISE OF THE ROCKET GIRLS!

CHRISTMAS UNWRAPPED

SHAKESPEARE'S FINAL YEARS

MASSACHUSETTS 54th

INVISIBLE UNIVERSE

PENGUIN POST OFFICE

MY LIFE AS A TURKEY

BEAVERS

RICHARD III

PLUTO

HALLOWEEN

LEWIS AND CLARK

ATLANTIS

FROZEN SEAS

SHANGRI-LA HANDOUT

MAYA ANGELOU

EINSTEIN

JACK THE RIPPER

VOLCANOES

SACAGAWEA

SANTA CLAUS

HIMALAYAS

STONEHENGE

MOZART

USS MONITOR

MICHELANGELO

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

ALEXANDER BELL

HENRY FORD

THE CRASH OF 1929

WOLVES

LEO TOLSTOY

JANE GOODALL

BIRDS ARE DINOSAURS!

PUCCINI AND TURANDOT

LIFE IN THE UNDERGROWTH

PEPPERCORN EARTH/PLANETS

SUN

MERCURY

VENUS

EARTH & MOON

MARS & MOONS

ASTEROID BELT

JUPITER & MOONS

SATURN & MOONS

URANUS & MOONS

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NEPTUNE amplified

KUIPER BELT

OORT CLOUD

PLANET NINE

AMNH MUSEUM

MUSEUM TOUR SCHEDULE

VERTEBRATE ORIGINS

A WORLD OF DINOSAURS

DINOSAURS NOW!

A HISTORY OF MAMMALS

HUMAN ORIGINS

OH, THE PLACES WE'VE BEEN

OUR UNIVERSE

N.A. MAMMALS DIORAMAS

OCEAN LIFE: WHALES

ART MUSEUMS

MET MUSEUM FAVORITES

MoMA FAVORITES

WHITNEY FAVORITES

PORTLAND ART MUSEUM EURO

PORTLAND ART MUSEUM (A)

PORTLAND ART MUSEUM (B)

PORTLAND ART MUSEUM (C)

PORTLAND ART MUSEUM (D)

WRITING

FEATURED STORY

RESUME

Bill Thierfelder

 
 



You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.  
 
                                                   RAY BRADBURY
 
 

(c) Craig Chesek
 
My name is Dr. Bill Thierfelder.  I hold a Ph.D. in English, but taught a variety of Arts and Humanities courses over a three decade career at several New York and Long Island universities and colleges.  My classroom vocation showed me quite clearly that life is all about making wings.  Indeed, my personal philosophy--rooted in years of practical study and just plain old life experience--is simple:  The most important thing you can do is to make wings for yourself and fly to places that fulfill your potential, allow you to develop your unique gifts, and open up a world of love and friendship.
 
Some things about myself:

After living exclusively in the New York metropolitan area since birth, I currently reside in Portland, Oregon, with my spouse.  

I retired from full-time teaching in 2010.  Now, I devote my energies to being an artist/photographer, writer, lecturer, and museum docent.

As an artist/photographer, I have a commitment to the art and craft of collage, employing various media, including crayon, pencil, graphite, inks, digital photos, and oil pastels. My work has been shown at galleries in Manhattan and on Long Island since 2007. In addition, you can view my collages and photography by accessing these sites:
 
COLLAGES:  http://www.makingwings.net/artandphotography/collages.html
PHOTOGRAPHY: http://www.makingwings.net/artandphotography/photography.html
BLACK & WHITES: http://www.makingwings.net/artandphotography/blackandwhite.html
WATERSCAPES: http://www.makingwings.net/artandphotography/waterscapes.html
HUMAN FORM: http://www.makingwings.net/artandphotography/humanform.html

As a writer, I publish under the name T. Richard Williams. My poetry and short stories have been published in such diverse venues as Wild Violet, Aphelion, Shadeworks, Petroglyph, American Poets and Poetry, and Lucid Stone. Three collections of verse--How the Dinosaurs Devoured the Humans, The Letter S, and Hurricane Warnings--and two volumes of short stories titled Ten and The Book of Clues are currently available as is my sci-fi novel Twelve Minutes...  By going to the WRITING page on this website, you can click on links that will take you directly to each book at Amazon.com
 

BOOKS:  http://www.makingwings.net/writing.html

Besides traditional classroom teaching, I also give library lectures and guide people through museums.  One of the great joys of my life has been sharing and exchanging ideas with people--so whether it's in a classroom setting, a library auditorium, or a museum hall, conversing with others about exciting works of art, literature, music, history, or science is an activity that truly gives me "wings."

LIBRARY SCHEDULES AND TOPICS: http://www.makingwings.net/libraryscheduletopics.html

MUSEUM AND SCIENCE LINKS (including scheduled tours):  
http://www.makingwings.net/museumandsciencelinks.html

I'm also a member of and donor to The Jessup Society at The American Museum of Natural History. In addition, I always try to support a wide range of charitable organizations either financially or as a volutnteer, especially those devoted to preserving Earth's environment, to protecting at-risk children around the world, and to advocating for civil equality.



"Never be too old to play on swings in May, nor too 'adult' for sand castles built by the roaring shore; always romp with joy in the brisk autumn leaves and know the wonder of snow angels on a bright winter's day."
 
 
T. Richard Williams




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CONTACT:  MakingWings@gmail.com