The Ripple of a Lie
Paul A. Stankus is a poet, short story writer, and author of three books, including his first children’s book, The Ripple of a Lie, a visual representation of the effects of playground gossip and lies.  Always observant, he finds a simple absurdity in life -- that single grain of truth --that he weaves into a masterful tale. Paul churned nearly 250 short stories about his experiences as a new father into his book, Dad Desperately In Need of Training Wheels while commuting daily in the last car of the DC Metro train. As the DreadPoet Roberts, Paul led a virtual poetry jam every Monday evening for nearly five years, composing over 150 poems on the spot with nothing more than a name, a place, and an action shouted out by the audience.   His audience has grown from a small handful to a routine of 5 storytellers to an assembled crowd of over 100 patrons nightly.   Paul currently has several writing projects in the works, including a book of poetry, and an 18th century pirate trilogy.  In his spare time, he is a board member of the Gaithersburg Book Festival where he was a featured presenter in 2012 and hones his craft by editing books for friends.  He balances his time writing with a daytime gig wrangling federal funds for schools.  Mostly he does it for the children -- but it also pays for his writing vices.