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Tribute To Keith W. Harjes (1963 - 2007)
Keith W. Harjes passed away suddenly at his home on January 23, 2007. Keith, who had joined Pencils! Writing Workshop in Wilton, Connecticut, was a bright, young, burgeoning writer who truly could have blossomed into an extremely successful mystery and crime fiction writer. He took his writing very seriously and was not only open to improvements in his own work, but contributed generously to others; his feedback was well-honed and earnest. Keith began his writing career penning ads for Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. Later, his creativity took him in different directions. At the time of his death, Keith had just completed a course with the Long Ridge Writers Group in West Redding, Connecticut, had finished a children's story about a pixie dragon, had sold his first two short stories (both to Mouth Full of Bullets) and was working on a short story, "Knight Owl," which featured a quirky new detective to add to his noir line-up. (Unfortunately, there is a page missing, which we are desperately trying to find in the hopes we can submit it post-humously.) When he wasn't writing, he always had a book in his hand. Some of his favorites included Laura Lippman and Philip Craig. Keith had other interests besides writing; this is also an important quality for every serious writer to have, simply because we cannot write about that which we haven't experienced. His service to the Wilton Playshop in Wilton, Connecticut, as a director, actor and board member, put him in touch with the range of human emotions. He rose through the ranks there, and was in charge of staging the play readings. The workshop has now, in his memory, named them the Keith W. Harjes Memorial Play Readings. He was also a birder, and participated in local Christmas counts in the area. Personally, he loved the city of Baltimore, Maryland, as much as he loved to experience the smells and warmth of the tropics that Jimmy Buffet's music evoked. Most of all, Keith loved being a father. He and his wife, Lori, who shared with me that Keith's long-time goal was to become a Dad, adopted their son, Reilly, a year or so ago. She and Keith and had been together for twenty-five years, and were married for just over nineteen. No matter which passion he was engaged in, Keith always kept his favorite poem, Peter Dale Wimbrow's "The Guy in the Glass," in mind. Although rights issues prohibit us from posting it here, it's a very popular piece and can be read at the Wimbrow estate's official website, www.theguyintheglass.com. Wimbrow penned the poem in 1934, and I think it still holds true today. They were words Keith lived by: don't cheat yourself. And Keith, in pursuing his life-long love of writing, did anything but. Kristi Petersen © 2007 |
