Michael A. Ventrella is a lawyer, writer, and wiseass.
Michael was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1958. While in High School, he was active in the debate team (winning the “Best Debator” award), wrote and edited his own school newspaper, hosted the annual student talent show, and wrote a musical comedy that was performed by the school and which was reviewed by the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper.
He attended Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, where he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. While in college, he was elected to the Student Senate where he chaired the judiciary committee, was program director of the college radio station, was on the debate team, and was active in various political organizations. He was awarded the prestigious Student Service award in his senior year for his contributions to the school.
His band The Naughty Bits played original music and was very popular in the Richmond clubs. He and his bandmates started a local fanzine called “The Beat” that covered the local music scene.
He then moved to Boston to attend New England Law, where he was editor of the school newspaper, participated in the moot court program, and was active in local politics.
In 1982, he married his high school sweetheart, award-winning artist Heidi Hooper.
After graduation, he worked as a Public Defender with the Boston Bar Advocate program, taught political science, Constitutional law, and history courses at Bunker Hill Community College and Curry College, worked as a lobbyist for The Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges and Americans for Democratic Action (where he served as President for a year), and was active in local politics, including being a campaign manager for a State Representative. He also found time to play in numerous bands around the Boston club scene.
While in Boston, he founded Animato! magazine, dedicated to animated films. The magazine grew and eventually, Michael sold it to another, and it grew even more.
He and his wife moved to New York city in 1993 to start a nationwide LARP game (known as Alliance LARP). The game expanded to have chapters all over the US and Canada. He wrote and edited the game’s guide books. (Michael sold the game in 2020, and it continues on today.)
They relocated to the beautiful Poconos in 1997, where Michael resumed his legal career. He practiced as a Public Defender for a few years, taught courses at Northampton Community College, and eventually worked for the Law Office of Mark Love, one of Pennsylvania’s “Super Lawyers.” When Mark retired, Michael opened his own legal practice, but later joined the Poconos’ #1 rated law firm, Fisher and Fisher. He’s won many cases and appeals and has argued before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
His book “How to Argue the Constitution with a Conservative“, from Gray Rabbit Publications, features illustrations by Pulitzer-Prize winning editorial cartoonist Darrin Bell. Fantastic Books has published his five novels and a short story collection. He has edited a dozen anthologies, and has written and co-written nonfiction books about The Beatles and The Monkees.
Despite all this, he is apparently best known for predicting a plot twist on “Game of Thrones.”
ventrellaquest.com 