Mark Singer wrote Heartwood originally as a portfolio of his work, but it gradually grew to become a memoir for his children and others. As he explains in his From the Bench column in issue #286, he’s been a woodworker for most of his life, and the craft shaped him.

Among other things he worked for Sam Maloof, was a Journeyman carpenter, supervised the Design Workshop at Harvard University, successfully marketed his furniture designs in Japan, and is the founder of Giati Designs in California and the person who introduced Gorilla Glue in North America.