About Us

Robert Hanrott and Martha Horsley live in Washington DC and London.

Robert first went to the United States in the early 1960s with the idea of becoming a journalist and has written tongue-in-cheek pieces ever since. He loves acting, has taken numerous parts on the amateur stage, and has recorded for Books on Tape. He has studied singing under the opera singer Anne Ferry and others and has sung with the Malcolm Sargent Choir, Swanbank Music in London, and the New Dominion Chorale in Washington D.C. Robert has a memory for music and lyrics, and wishes he could remember peoples’ names half as well. His head is full of tunes, something that comes in handy when you’re composing.

Robert is also intensely interested in international politics and writes light-hearted verse at the expense of both American and British political establishments, together with ironic reflections on everyday life.

Martha has studied classical and jazz piano privately and at the Levine School of Music in Washington. She has also studied composition at Catholic University and particularly enjoys harmonization and arranging. Writing has been a life-long interest and has evolved from non-fiction to fiction over the years. Together Robert and Martha have written two one-act musicals (one for children) and a full-length musical based on the life of Pamela Harriman. They have also composed music for video and for the Studio Theater in Washington.

We love what we’re doing — the music, the lyrics, the stories, and the verse. And we want to share with you the projects we’ve had fun with.

We have two products for sale:

   —Telling Tales, a book of short stories inspired by our walk from Canterbury to Rome in the summer of 2000 (click here for a description of the walk); and

   —Foxtails: the Adventures of Freddie Fox, a CD of stories with music for adults and children.

We also have web pages on political satire, light verse, Epicureanism and cartoons drawn by Robert and inspired by hs grand-children.

- The political satire, referred to as “mild subversion”, is designed to provoke “right on” (for those who agree) or perhaps a fist raised in unity (when it’s not so mild!). It is archived and up-dated and covers topics ranging from events in the Middle East to “sound science”.

- We hope the light verse will provoke a smile or a sigh for those of you who just want to get away from it all.

- We join with many others in trying to restore the reputation and ideas of the Greek philosopher, Epicurus, a man woefully mis-represented.

We look forward to your comments and contributions — all in the spirit of having more fun in a busy life and a crazy world!