"Brother" Gregory Joseph Firlotte -- a descendant of two Mayflower passengers -- was born in Gardiner, Maine. He spent his youth reading books on history, travel, art and poetry at the historic 1881 brick-clad Gardiner Public Library and began writing poetry and short stories in elementary school.
Firlotte wrote prolifically in high school and received First Prize at graduation exercises at Hall-Dale High School in Farmingdale, Maine for his essay on freedom. Firlotte continued writing in college -- the University of Maine at Augusta -- and went on to have his first feature story on Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith published in the Maine Sunday Telegram in 1981. Later that year, Firlotte became the Arts and New Products Editor at Designers West Magazine in Los Angeles and has continued to write about design, architecture, art and personalities. His favorite subject for poetry is the region found in and around Gardiner, Hallowell and Central Coastal Maine with all its history, charm and fond childhood recollections -- as well as the seasons and the natural beauty found throughout New England.
In September 2020, Firlotte released his first book of poetry based on New England themes, titled In This New England: The Poetry of Gregory Joseph Firlotte, available on Amazon. And two of his poems were published in 2020 in PoetrySoup's anthology PS: It's Poetry. His second poetry book Gilded Summer was released May 9, 2021, also on Amazon. In June 2021, Firlotte's poem "Two of the Same Poem" was awarded 1st Place in a contest sponsored by the Peterborough Poetry Project and appears in the book Post Script: An Anthology of Postcard Poetry. The poem is in a style devised by Firlotte in October 2020 which he has named Analogous Contrapuntal. Two of his poems were featured in 2023 in "Reflections on the Important Things" anthology published by PoetrySoup. In 2024, Firlotte's poetry was featured in "Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry" published by PoetrySoup.
He is a member of the New England Poetry Club, as well as a member of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.