Born in South Philadelphia in 1960 and raised in a staunch Irish-Catholic family, author/artist Tom Curley is an art historian and scholar of religious studies educated at the University of Pennsylvania. Curley’s primary areas of concentration have been comparative religion, pre-Christian Gnosticism, Biblical Apocrypha, the applied yoga philosophical traditions of Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism, Sanatana Dharma, Buddhism, Existentialist philosophical traditions, as well as contemporary representations of these ancient paths found in modern psychology, mindfulness, and other practical applications. 

 

Originally published in 2000 with a 2004 revision, Masters Among Us was Curley’s first published book. The current revised 2020 edition marks the first time the book was been available to the public for 14 years. Here, the author brings the original story full circle with the addition of two new chapters that comprise a previously missing conclusion.

Curley is also the author of The Elephant on the Raft: Remembering Dad on a Mark Twain Odyssey, a highly personal memoir inspired by the life of the renown author. Borrowing from his pop culture studies in the journalism styles of Jack Kerouac and Tom Wolfe, Curley escorts on his trips through the trenches of the Civil War to a memorable experience on a rock and roll cruise, all with the aim of rediscovering a lost relationship with his father, who died several decades prior. Since its release in July, 2020, the book has been received with positive acclaim, affirming Curley’s status as a welcomed new voice on the literary landscape.

Other works: My Street Looks Like America and My Splendour Among Thorns- two compilations of the author’s poetry,  photography and illustrations. More works coming soon.

Curley’s interests include travel, listening to good music of just about any genre, indulging in classic film, chillin’ out with family, friends, and two Wheaten Terriers in his suburban Philadelphia home.