Charles c finn biography of william

The history behind "Please Hear What I'm Not Saying" began years ago in 1966 when I wrote the poem just after I had begun teaching at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago. A Jesuit seminarian at the time, I typed it out and shared it with some students, friends, and family.

I didn't put my name on it because there seemed no need to--not only did these people know it was mine but I hadn't the remotest idea of publishing it. In retrospect, I guess my vulnerability in the poem might have had something to do with leaving off my name.

I soon discovered "Please Hear" touched a chord in great numbers of people and had taken on a life of its own.

Between 1969 and 1980 alone, I learned of more than two dozen publications across the country that had printed it, two albums (one of them British: "Rosko Speaks") that recorded it, and numerous stories of conferences using it and people sharing it.

Here are but two examples.

I was intrigued to read that one of the confere