Jamie Kirkpatrick
Author, Essayist, Photographer
I am a former Peace Corps Volunteer and staff member. A graduate of The Choate School and Wesleyan University, I also hold a Master of Arts In Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School. From 1984 to 1988, I was Director of International Programs at Special Olympics International where I worked with national volunteer organizations in more than 70 countries around the world. Following that extraordinary experience, I became Director of College Counseling at the Landon School in Bethesda, Maryland where I also taught Middle Eastern Studies and coached baseball. I retired from Landon in 2015 and am now a writer and photographer living in Chestertown on Maryland’s beautiful Eastern Shore.
I have published three novels of historical fiction. “This Salted Soil” tells the story of the North African campaign and the Battle for Tunisia in World War II. “The Tales of Bismuth” explores the origins of the Arab-Israeli conflict and recounts the waning days of the British Mandate in Palestine. “The People Game,” the third novel in the Declan Shaw series, is set in Washington, DC and on Maryland’s bucolic Eastern Shore. It was published by Koehler Books in February, 2026. A fourth novel is forthcoming in the November, 2026. All my novels are available on Amazon and other reader platforms.
My editorials, profiles, and book reviews have appeared in the Washington Post, the Baltimore Sun, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Washington College Alumni Magazine, and American Cowboy Magazine. Since 2016, I have also written a weekly column for The Chestertown Spy, The Talbot Spy, and The Cambridge Spy. These “Musings” appear every Tuesday, and two collections of these essays (“Musing Right Along” and “I’ll Be Right Back”) are also available on Amazon.
Wow!
Your being “picked” in Majorca caught my eye; Barbara and I spent a delightful vacation with two friends back in the 70’s; yours brought back fond memories. We stayed at Hotel Son Vida, and even rode that train to the end of the line and back Thanks for the memories!
Al DiCenso
Easton
Hi: I was wondering the best way to buy your recent book on Tunisia during WW II. My neighbor and friend, Rob Glebe, referred your book to me. I am a resident of Kent County, residing with my wife and Boston Terrier off Fairlee Creek. My father and father-in-law both fought in Tunisia – my own father was a combat surgeon and was present at Arzou. I have several interesting artifacts, mostly French, that he brought home and passed on to me. He died in 2003. Just curious, are you related to Lyman Kirkpatrick, who was a college professor of mine.
Thanks for your message. My book is available for sale at The Bookplate and at Twigs & Teacups in Chestertown.
No relation to Professor Kirkpatrick.
A friend forwarded your Willa Cather post. I very much enjoyed it. All five of your ‘notes’ are embedded in my Orlo & Leini tales.
I enjoyed your Boxing Day musings, Jamie. When we are not in Chestertown, we are in Lancaster PA and I wonder if you know the Amish celebration of Second Christmas? Amish families are typically so large that they visit with one side of the family on Christmas and then the other side on the next day.
Jamie- in the ’80’s l used to live across the street from you in Washington, at 4311 Chesapeake St NW. (My wife Hadia passed away 13 years ago.). Between your household and ours, for a while, we had 4 cats: Morris and Stella on our side and Diamond and Charlie on yours. I used to tell stories of the 4 cats to my young sons. Now I’m trying to edit the the c140 surviving taped stories into book form as a sort of family legacy. Do you have photos of the cats that you could share,? Or at least Chariie and Diamond? How about Pirate?
Hello Mr. Kirkpatrick:
You were helpful to me in 1986 in preparing materials about Special Olympics in presentations I made throughout People’s Republic of China. I was a delegate in a delegation led by Dr. Samuel Kirk. I was working then as a special education administrator in Flagstaff AZ and had been the Coconino County Coordinator for the AZ Special Olympics. I’m wondering if you recall when China began their Special Olympic program? I’m putting together some memories of four professional exchanges in China and Tibet from 1986 and latest in 2018. I had your name and DC phone number in my contacts from 1986 and found this site of yours. I’m curious if the Special Olympics began before or after my visit in 1986. I don’t recall any Chinese counterparts knowing about SO during my visit. Thank you for considering a response and , again, thank you for your help in 1986!
Hello Kevin: Good to hear from you! I believe Mr. Shriver and I made our first visit to China in 1985. The program there began shortly after that.
Thank you!
I read your article, “The Labyrinth” in the “Talbot Spy.” I found it interesting and agree that this is a real mess of a maze. Just a note, what the one built by Daedalus for King Minos of Crete to imprison the dreaded Minotaur was a maze, not labyrinth. The piece on the floor at Chartres Cathedral is a labyrinth. A maze has multiple paths, choices, and dead ends, designed to confuse and challenge the solver to find the exit. A labyrinth, however, is a single, non-branching path with no dead ends; it has only one way in and one way out and is intended for a calm, meditative walk.
Thank you for the correction!
Hi Jamie,
The People Game places its protagonist at a fascinating crossroads of history and identity. Declan Shaw arrives in Washington not as a wide-eyed newcomer, but as a journalist already shaped by war, displacement, and the moral ambiguities of global conflict. That background gives his reporting a sharp, outsider’s clarity as he observes America at a moment when its ideals are being tested, by McCarthyism, by civil rights unrest, and by the quiet machinery of Cold War politics.
What’s especially compelling is how the public and the personal move in tandem. Declan’s encounters with towering historical figures never overshadow the more intimate question at the heart of the novel: what it costs to belong. Through his relationship with Tay Riggs and her world of inherited power, the book explores the seductive pull of the American Dream, not as myth, but as a system that invites some in while asking difficult compromises in return.
I work with readers who are drawn to historically grounded fiction that interrogates power, ambition, and moral choice without romanticizing them. The People Game feels particularly well suited to audiences who enjoy novels where history is not just backdrop, but an active force shaping character and fate. Wouldn’t it be incredible to see Declan’s journey resonate with readers who recognize how timeless the struggle between integrity and ambition truly is?
Warm regards,
Tessa Winslow
Hello Tessa:
Thank you for this comment.
I heard a rumour that among your talents is bagpipe playing. If so, let me know if you’re up for a gig in Falls Church on the 14th.
Rumor is true, but alas I am away on the 14th.
Jamie- Saw your post regarding a writing space besides at home for you. We have a newly renovated upstairs studio/office space here above our ceramics/printmaking studio here in Kingstown. Interested? Very reasonable rate. Know of anyone else besides yourself who might be tempted to see the space and negotiate a rent? Not advertising.
Got the Wes alumni magazine today, which mentioned your latest novel. We’ll have to give it a read.
All our best,
Alan & Barb
Hi Alan & Barb:
Haven’t seen the magazine yet, but happy to hear from you! Hope you enjoy “The People Game.”
Loving This Salted Earth.
Let’s catch up soon