The author was born in New Jersey, the child of Vincent and Rose. Theater was his interest, but he wasnat sure whether he had the talent, so at age 19 he entered a contest in New York City with 1000 participants. He was one of the ten finalists. Late Broadway director Alan Schneider recommended Mr. Manno to the Piccolo Teatro de Milano. Mr. Eddie Dowling, of Glass Menagerie fame, thought enough of his ability to seek him out in New York to perform in The Time of Your Life, by William Saroyan. After meeting his wife Rosemary at Boston University, the author decided to settle down in Chicago in 1961. They have three sons. From his early years, beginning at eighteen, he began writing poetry. The present count is over two hundred. They are varied in topic from religious, to political, to impressions. Mr. Manno has also written the novels Toy Man; Thomas; Two Women; The Trip (which is published); The Evil on Upton (which is also published); Cry Wolfe; and Sarah; a libretto titled Jemshid, after a mid-eastern fable; and a light opera, Magda, based upon Hermann Sudermannas play of the same name. He is presently working on another novel. He has written seventeen fictional short stories, and one nonfiction short story. The published novels can be found on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or the Ingramas list of any bookstore.