The Punk and the Professor
Set in the suburban shadows of New York City as the 1980s crash into the ‘90s, The Punk and the Professor brings us into the troubled world of a young introvert. Jack Tortis is an underdog branded as a punk in a place where sameness is celebrated. Destined to be a dropout laborer like his estranged father, he clings to hope and fights against a tide of dysfunction as obstacles spring up around him. In a battle for survival, Jack is faced with three options—fall into the street life, join the world of service labor, or fight his way through school.
Where we end up in life is often too predictable—but sometimes an opportunity comes along that changes our fate, and sometimes it takes starting all over again to get it right. The story of the punk is framed by a professor reciting an ancient tale that inspires us to see past the shadows, question all we think we know, and distinguish reality from illusion.
About William K. Lawrence (New York, New York Author)
Billy Lawrence – Once branded as a local punk, Billy is now a doctor of education with a collection of college degrees. He was born and raised on Long Island in New York and has lived in five other states.
His other creative publications, (credited as WK, Will, and William Lawrence) include poems and stories in various national and international literary journals, a trilogy of poetry chapbooks, and two collections of poems State of Love and Trust (2005) and Punk Poetry (2016).