Frank Philbrick
Encyclopedia
Frank Philbrick is a former professional baseball
player turned carpenter
and author
. Philbrick co-authored his first book, The Backyard Lumberjack, alongside his father, Stephen Philbrick
, in 2006.
After graduating from Brown University
in the spring of 2001, where Philbrick was an English major and a left-handed pitcher, Philbrick signed a professional baseball contract with the Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs
of the independent Northeast League. Later that summer, Philbrick was released, but continued his career with the Berkshire Black Bears
, who made their home at historic Wahconah Park
in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
. Having grown up in nearby Cummington, Massachusetts
, Philbrick was a local favorite. After playing with the Berkshire Black Bears, Philbrick played in the Frontier League
. In the spring of 2002, Philbrick retired from pitching and began work as an author and carpenter.
Frank's first book, The Backyard Lumberjack is a how-to
guide and personal account of managing a woodlot. Drawing on a lifetime of personal experience with forestry, farming, and woodworking, the Philbricks impart both the technical and emotional aspects of the firewood process, detailing each step from tree
to stove
. "The Backyard Lumberjack" also shares tales of life in the rural hills of The Berkshires
. As part of the publicity for The Backyard Lumberjack, Philbrick appeared on the CBS Early Show, The Leonard Lopate
Show on WNYC
, The Arnie Arnesen
Show, and The Rachel Maddow Show on Air America Radio
. Philbrick and his father, Stephen, also appeared on The History Channel
show, "Modern Marvels
: The History of the Axe" where, using only a sharpened axe, the father-son team were filmed cutting down a pine tree measuring six feet in circumference. The show aired on May 30, 2008.
Publicity for "The Backyard Lumberjack" led to an unexpected foray into modeling. Magnum photographer Bruce Weber photographed Philbrick for a "L'Uomo Vogue" piece on American men's sports and Philbrick appeared in print and television advertisements photographed by Weber for the "American Living" ad campaign which aired during the 2008 Academy Awards
. Philbrick subsequently appeared in the Rogues Gallery Spring/Summer 2008 lookbook.
Philbrick's next book project is underway. Using an extensive diary
he kept while playing ball, Philbrick is translating his time in the minor leagues into his next non-fiction novel
.
The Philbrick
family has a strong literary tradition. Frank's father, Stephen, has published three books of poetry
and is minister of the West Cummington Congregational Church. Frank's grandfather, Charles Horace Philbrick, was an award-winning poet and professor
of English at Brown. Frank is also a cousin of bestselling author, winner of the 2000 National Book Award
, and 2007 Pulitzer Prize
nominee, Nathaniel Philbrick
, best known for his books, "In The Heart of the Sea", "Mayflower", and "The Last Stand". Frank's mother, Ann Leone, is also a published author and a professor of French Studies and Landscape Studies at Smith College
.
Between writing projects, Philbrick works as a carpenter. Employing a technique dating back to Neolithic
times, Philbrick designed and constructed two timber-framed barns - one in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and the other in Hampden County, Massachusetts
. Philbrick also specializes in finish and restoration carpentry.
Philbrick resides in the Greenpoint
neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York and frequently spends time on his childhood farm in Cummington, Massachusetts.
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
player turned carpenter
Carpenter
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. Philbrick co-authored his first book, The Backyard Lumberjack, alongside his father, Stephen Philbrick
Stephen Philbrick
Stephen Philbrick is an American author, poet, and minister. As the son of Charles Horace Philbrick and the father of Frank Philbrick, he is the linchpin of the Philbrick literary family. Philbrick was graduated from Brown University in 1971, but now lives in Windsor, Massachusetts...
, in 2006.
After graduating from Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
in the spring of 2001, where Philbrick was an English major and a left-handed pitcher, Philbrick signed a professional baseball contract with the Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs
Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs
The Albany-Colonie Diamond Dogs were a minor league baseball team based in Albany, New York from 1995 to 2002. The team played at Heritage Park in Colonie. The Diamond Dogs competed in the Northeast League from 1995-98 and then in the Northern League when the two leagues merged prior to the 1999...
of the independent Northeast League. Later that summer, Philbrick was released, but continued his career with the Berkshire Black Bears
Berkshire Black Bears
The Berkshire Black Bears were a minor league baseball team in the independent Northeast League..Originally known as the Pittsfield Electrics , Pittsfield Hillies , they moved to the Canadian American League. When they made the move they became Pittsfield Electrics , Pittsfield Indians ,Pittsfield...
, who made their home at historic Wahconah Park
Wahconah Park
Wahconah Park is a city-owned baseball park located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and nestled in a working class neighborhood. One of the last remaining ballparks in the United States with a wooden grandstand, it was constructed in 1919 and seats 4,500. The stadium is now currently home to the, yet...
in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
. Having grown up in nearby Cummington, Massachusetts
Cummington, Massachusetts
Cummington is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 978 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Philbrick was a local favorite. After playing with the Berkshire Black Bears, Philbrick played in the Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...
. In the spring of 2002, Philbrick retired from pitching and began work as an author and carpenter.
Frank's first book, The Backyard Lumberjack is a how-to
How-to
A how-to or a how to is an informal, often short, description of how to accomplish some specific task. A how-to is usually meant to help non-experts, may leave out details that are only important to experts, and may also be greatly simplified from an overall discussion of the topic...
guide and personal account of managing a woodlot. Drawing on a lifetime of personal experience with forestry, farming, and woodworking, the Philbricks impart both the technical and emotional aspects of the firewood process, detailing each step from tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
to stove
Wood-burning stove
For a list of stove types see Stove .A wood-burning stove is a heating appliance capable of burning wood fuel and wood-derived biomass fuel. Generally the appliance consists of a solid metal closed fire chamber, a grate and an adjustable air control...
. "The Backyard Lumberjack" also shares tales of life in the rural hills of The Berkshires
The Berkshires
The Berkshires , is a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut.Also referred to as the Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains, and Berkshire Plateau, the region enjoys a vibrant tourism industry based on music, arts, and recreation.-Definition:The term...
. As part of the publicity for The Backyard Lumberjack, Philbrick appeared on the CBS Early Show, The Leonard Lopate
Leonard Lopate
Leonard Lopate is host of the public radio talk show The Leonard Lopate Show, broadcast on WNYC. He first broadcast on WKCR, the college radio station of Columbia University—where his brother Phillip was a student—then later at WBAI, before ultimately moving to WNYC. -Biography:Lopate came to...
Show on WNYC
WNYC
WNYC is a set of call letters shared by a pair of co-owned, non-profit, public radio stations located in New York City.WNYC broadcasts on the AM band at 820 kHz, and WNYC-FM is at 93.9 MHz. Both stations are members of National Public Radio and carry distinct, but similar news/talk programs...
, The Arnie Arnesen
Deborah Arnie Arnesen
Deborah Arnie Arnesen, known as Deborah L. Arnesen, D. Arnie Arnesen or simply Arnie Arnesen , is a liberal Democratic media personality, a former fellow of the Harvard Institute of Politics, and a former member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives...
Show, and The Rachel Maddow Show on Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
. Philbrick and his father, Stephen, also appeared on The History Channel
The History Channel
History, formerly known as The History Channel, is an American-based international satellite and cable TV channel that broadcasts a variety of reality shows and documentary programs including those of fictional and non-fictional historical content, together with speculation about the future.-...
show, "Modern Marvels
Modern Marvels
Modern Marvels is a documentary television series that premiered on January 1, 1995 on History. The program focuses on how technologies affect and are used in today's society....
: The History of the Axe" where, using only a sharpened axe, the father-son team were filmed cutting down a pine tree measuring six feet in circumference. The show aired on May 30, 2008.
Publicity for "The Backyard Lumberjack" led to an unexpected foray into modeling. Magnum photographer Bruce Weber photographed Philbrick for a "L'Uomo Vogue" piece on American men's sports and Philbrick appeared in print and television advertisements photographed by Weber for the "American Living" ad campaign which aired during the 2008 Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
. Philbrick subsequently appeared in the Rogues Gallery Spring/Summer 2008 lookbook.
Philbrick's next book project is underway. Using an extensive diary
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
he kept while playing ball, Philbrick is translating his time in the minor leagues into his next non-fiction novel
Non-fiction novel
The non-fiction novel is a literary genre which, broadly speaking, depicts real historical figures and actual events narrated woven together with fictitious allegations and using the storytelling techniques of fiction. The non-fiction novel is an otherwise loosely-defined and flexible genre...
.
The Philbrick
Philbrick
*George A. Philbrick of George A. Philbrick Researches pioneered the commercial production of the operational amplifier.The Philbrick family has a strong New England literary tradition. Each of the members listed below was educated at Brown University and has been published:* Nathaniel Philbrick*...
family has a strong literary tradition. Frank's father, Stephen, has published three books of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and is minister of the West Cummington Congregational Church. Frank's grandfather, Charles Horace Philbrick, was an award-winning poet and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of English at Brown. Frank is also a cousin of bestselling author, winner of the 2000 National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
, and 2007 Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
nominee, Nathaniel Philbrick
Nathaniel Philbrick
Nathaniel Philbrick is an American author and a winner of the National Book Award for his 2000 work of maritime history In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex. He is member of the Philbrick literary family.-Life:...
, best known for his books, "In The Heart of the Sea", "Mayflower", and "The Last Stand". Frank's mother, Ann Leone, is also a published author and a professor of French Studies and Landscape Studies at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
.
Between writing projects, Philbrick works as a carpenter. Employing a technique dating back to Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
times, Philbrick designed and constructed two timber-framed barns - one in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and the other in Hampden County, Massachusetts
Hampden County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...
. Philbrick also specializes in finish and restoration carpentry.
Philbrick resides in the Greenpoint
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...
neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York and frequently spends time on his childhood farm in Cummington, Massachusetts.
Books by Frank Philbrick
- The Backyard Lumberjack: The Ultimate Guide to Felling, Bucking, Splitting & Stacking. Frank Philbrick and Stephen Philbrick. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, LLC, 2006. ISBN 1580176518
External links
- Frank Philbrick's career statistics on Baseball-Reference.com http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=philbr001fra
- Philbrick named Ivy League Pitcher of the Week, 21 Mar. 2001.
- Philbrick on the Leonard LopateLeonard LopateLeonard Lopate is host of the public radio talk show The Leonard Lopate Show, broadcast on WNYC. He first broadcast on WKCR, the college radio station of Columbia University—where his brother Phillip was a student—then later at WBAI, before ultimately moving to WNYC. -Biography:Lopate came to...
Show, 3 Jan. 2006. http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/episodes/2007/01/03 - Philbrick on the CBS Early Show, 17 Oct. 2006. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/03/earlyshow/leisure/books/main2057324.shtml
- Philbrick on The Rachel Maddow Show, 17 Nov. 2006. http://www.airamerica.com/maddow/node?from=60