Kastendiek, Dennis: - Born on the south side of Chicago, I was raised into the working-class milieu by a journeyman butcher father and a Western Electric mother, where I tried to figure out my position under varying forces like Eisenhower and God and Sputnik. In grammar school I recall ducking under the desk to prepare for an atomic bomb attack, and occasional outdoor field trips, once to see the actual Oscar Mayer wiener midget promoting hot dogs, and once to see a smiling Richard J. Daley breaking ground for a new bank with a golden shovel. I eventually received an M.A. from the University of North Dakota, after majoring in sociology and cultural anthropology, go figure. I taught part-time for a spell, making zilch, then worked for a major book distributor. I often entertained and even wrestled with my muse. My submissions received a few hand-written rejections from the likes of McCall's, but most of my stories found their way into magazines like Pangolin Papers, Mobius, Potpourri, and the SouthWest Sage. Currently in Albuquerque, where I coordinate a community center-sponsored writing class/workshop with published author Don Morgan. I still try to orient under arcane forces. I wake up daily, knock on wood, drink coffee, and ponder and wonder. In case you wonder too, my surname is pronounced: cas-ten-dike.