Millennium Magazine_4th Ed

35 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine M ichael DrewMendelson began writing his first novel at the age of 16 after dismissing the idea of being an astronomer. Since then, he has built upon his first novel and has spent many years as an accomplished journalist, speechwriter and press relations expert. Mr. Mendelson received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, with honors, from Sonoma State University and a Master of Arts in English literature with a concentration in creative writing from San Francisco State University. He also completed coursework at the Artillery Officer Candidate School. Before his writing career, Mr. Mendelson spent 1967 to 1970 in the United States Army as a second lieutenant, first lieutenant, assistant battery executive officer, and during the Vietnam War, an artillery forward observer and battalion artillery liaison. Following his time in the military, Mr. Mendelson dove into the world of journalism. From 1975 to 1986, he held positions at Cotati Call in Cotati, California, Lancaster Excelsior in Lancaster, Missouri, the Kansas City Labor Beacon and the St. Paul Union Advocate as editor-in-chief. Mr. Mendelson then went back to California, where he held multiple positions with public officials and the local government in communications and speech writing. In 2009, he spearheaded Mendelson Communications and retired in 2019. The most fulfilling aspect of Mr. Mendelson’s career has been his ability to indulge into his writing. He is the author of the novels “Song Ba To,” “Marin 2120 A.D.,” “Pilgrimage,” “Chief of Smoke” and “Dark Sea Rising,” plus the as yet unpublished Vietnam War novel “A Shepherd to Fools” and the mystery novel “The Folly of a Dream,” still in progress. Mr. Mendelson has been the recipient of various awards for editorial excellence, news and feature writing, and photography. He was also a finalist for the Ted Sorensen Speech Writing Award in 2009. Mr. Mendelson attributes his success to having an education in writing. He believes that some writers are able to get by with their language skills, but there is much more to the craft. He thanks Bette Reese from the College of Marin and Jerry Rosen from Sonoma State for their support and guidance. ARTS, MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT MICHAEL DREW MENDELSON WRITER, NOVELIST Mendelson Communications Elk Grove, CA