BILL KASSEL has made a specialty of conveying religious ideas and moral precepts in accessible ways to a broad public. He produces and hosts a weekly radio series, “Free Expression,” featuring talks with key authors and religious communicators, distributed by Michigan EWTN-affiliate, Good Shepherd Catholic Radio.

During the 1980s, he founded and led a popular Catholic music ensemble called Company, which was a forerunner of today’s Independent Catholic Music Movement. He is a songwriter, Christian entertainer, and essayist, and has authored two Christian mysteries, Holy Innocents (2000) and This Side of Jordan (2003), along with his award-winning historical novel, My Brother’s Keeper.

Kassel created and hosted a series of religious comedy programs, called Kassel & Company, for Ave Maria Radio, the national Catholic programming service. He also produced a 90-minute music special that spotlighted rising independent Catholic artists. And he has released an album of his own original Christian songs, titled On This Mountain.

A writer whose career has been highly varied, Kassel has been a journalist, advertising copywriter, and public relations consultant. He’s held creative staff positions with such prestigious companies as Dow Jones and McGraw-Hill. He was also director of public affairs for Hillsdale College, and director of communications for The Ave Maria Foundation.

Writing under his own byline or as a ghostwriter for others, he has authored or edited non-fiction books as well as articles appearing in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Newsweek, National Catholic Register, American Thinker, Aleteia, New Oxford Review, and numerous other publications and online journals.

Kassel is married with two grown children. He and his wife, Kathleen, reside in Michigan. His thoughts and random rants can be found at his blog, The Guy in the Next Pew (www.billkassel.com).