HE SPENDS A LOT OF TIME IN JAIL
Napierala’s day job is “criminal
mitigation expert” — he research-
es the backgrounds of offenders
who have mental health issues or
other extenuating circumstances
and makes the case to the dis-
trict attorney for alternatives to
incarceration. The reporting and
writing skills he learned as a jour-
nalism major at Cornell University
come into play; he interviews sub-
jects in places like Rikers Island
and New York City public housing
projects.
HE HAS A BACKYARD OFFICE
Since Napierala and Bodge
both have home-based businesses,
they converted their garage into
a home office so each can work
undisturbed.
“I grew up in Buffalo, so to me,
we don’t get enough snow to justi-
fy using a garage,” says Napierala,
who has papered the walls and
ceiling of his “garage-office” with
photos and jazz posters.
“Trae and I still trade ideas and
advise each other all the time, but
we have our own spaces,” he says.
“It works out really well.”
HE’S A BOOK NERD AS WELL AS A
JAZZ DORK
Napierala, Bodge and toddler
Sadie were living in an apartment
in Forest Hills, Queens, when they
started house-hunting in 2008.
“We didn’t think we’d want
to live in New Jersey, but friends
kept urging us to check out
Montclair,” he says.
The couple had no idea that
Montclair was a hotbed of jazz
musicians, but when they discov-
ered the Montclair Book Center
on Glenridge Avenue, they were
convinced Montclair was the place
for them. “We dig books,” says
Napierala.
Like jazz, books keep him busy
outside of work hours. Many
Saturday mornings, Napierala
can be found in the basement of
an office building across from
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