Author: Michael Coolen

Michael Coolen is a pianist, composer, actor, and writer living in Oregon. In addition to three Fulbright Fellowships and four National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships, he has won awards from the Oregon Poetry Association and the Oregon Writers Colony. His essay “Let Me Tell You How My Father Died” was given first prize in the 2017 national “Ageless Authors” competition. He’s been published in Oregon Humanities, The Gold Man Review, Best Travel Stories, Clementine Poetry Journal, Creative Writing Institute, Rats Ass Review, Broken Plate Poetry Magazine, The Poetry Quarterly, Mystery Magazine, et al. He’s a published composer, with works performed around the world, including at Carnegie Hall, New England Conservatory of Music, Museum of Modern Art, and the Christie Gallery.
"IMG_7554 Vincent Van Gogh. 1853-1890. Paris. Chaumes de Cordeville à Auvers sur Oise. 1890. Paris Orsay." by jean louis mazieres is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The Louvre at Twelve Miles an Hour

In fall 1985, I was sitting on a bench at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam staring at his View of Auvers, 1890. There were tears in my eyes, causing a young woman seated next to me to whisper to me, “It’s wonderful to see a man so moved by ... Read More
Essays /
The Man Who Spit Blue

The Man Who Spit Blue

Every day during lunch break at Saint Mary’s High in Seattle, a group of boys gathered at a public park across from the school. They’d shoot the breeze, talk sports, and discuss mysteries of the universe. Today’s mystery centered on the old man who coughed up blue spit into his ... Read More
Essays /