"The first piece I contributed [to PT] in 1985 was a short story--later read with appreciation by novelist Philip Roth--that ultimately made its way into my collection of short stories, Zimmerman's Tefillin [2004; Publish America]," he said. "But more than this, PT has afforded me the opportunity to hear back from countless readers, who have pointed out both their areas of agreement and disagreement with my writing. Some of these exchanges have led to unexpected friendships and collegial collaboration--if only via e-mail and letters. I have been consistently challenged by the responses of our readers, and this has been a great catalyst for my own professional growth."
In addition to his responsibilities with Psychiatric Times, Pies plans to continue his work as clinical professor of psychiatry and manuscript reviewer for several psychiatric journals, while pursuing his "second career" as poet, novelist and philosopher. Several of his poems, such as "Spellcheck for a Malformed Fetus," "Congestive Heart Failure," "Return to Brooklyn" and "The Golden Years," have appeared in JAMA, and in 2004, a collection of his poems, Creeping Thyme, was published (Brandylane Publishers, Inc.). More recently, he has written a novella based on the life of Moshe ben Maimon (Maimonides), a Medieval physician-philosopher. Pies is currently writing a book called Everything Has Two Handles.
