About E.S. Kraay

Olympian

From the Olympic stadium in Ancient Greece to the banks of the Housatonic River … E.S. Kraay writes stories about things that make a difference.


A native of the Berkshire Hills in Western Massachusetts, I cherish fond memories of Tanglewood, the Pittsfield Public Library, Herman Melville, Norman Rockwell, Richmond Pond, Pontoosuc Lake, the Hashim Boys, Rudy Benedetti, my Auntie and Babcia in Housatonic and my Aunt Sadie in Westfield, and so many, many other people and places that remain dear to my heart.

As a young boy, I was blessed with a wonderful English teacher, Norman Najimy.  Mr. Najimy had a passion for the written word, and his passion still burns in me and drives me to write books.  He inspired me to read every night.  That was half a century ago, and I haven’t missed a night since.  Before I was a student of Norman Najimy’s, my life’s dream was to be an archaeologist.  After that eighth-grade English class, I wanted to write books.

I wandered for 40 years in the desert and did not fulfill that ambition until 2008when The Olympian was published. Eighteen years and well over a half-million words later, I claim seven novels and two meditative collections.

My heart has led me to each story with the conviction that despite the challenges we face as members of an ever-expanding universe, someone, somewhere will always rise to do what’s morally right for this planet we call Earth and for the billions of creatures who inhabit it.

Mitakuye Oyasin

  • Could You Not Stay Awake with Me

    It is on this night in the Garden of Gethsemane that Jesus struggled as a man and as the son of God accepted the suffering of the world and absolved the sins of all creation. “… not what I want, but what you want.” Andrew Lloyd Webber captured Jesus’ agony in his song “Gethsemane,” performed…

    Read more: Could You Not Stay Awake with Me
  • Prayer at the 7th station

    From The Way of the Cross written and illustrated by Caryll Houselander.

    Read more: Prayer at the 7th station
  • The 5th Station

    from The Way of the Cross, written and illustrated by Caryll Houselander. …No one is meant to suffer alone. No one is meant to carry his own cross without some other human being to help him… We are here to help one another… We must be ready to carry the burden of anyone whom we…

    Read more: The 5th Station

“People Get Ready”
written and composed by
Curtis Mayfield
arranged and performed by my friend
Matt Balitsaris