Touched by hearing Mary Oliver's, The Journey, in the year 2000, I knew I must be a poet, though it took me several years before I could comfortably own that self description.
Southern boy, Southern bred, Southern educated, born a few weeks before Pearl Harbor, fourth son of a preacher and his farm-girl wife, left home, wandered the wilderness--Berkeley, Iowa, Hawaii, NYC, Chicago, Oregon, Florida, West Virginia, (not necessarily in that order) and back, in the end, to Berkeley, as home--fathered four kids, three mothers, adopted another, loved my children, still do, failed them in many ways, own my own failures--gave up an academic career, life of privilege, for conscious political and moral reasons and unknown (at the time) psychological ones.
Currently, keep body and soul together as letterpress printer and woodworker/carpenter. Talk to myself regularly, especially early, early mornings--these conversations are my poems--they come to me orally and are transcribed later--love speaking them (as well as speaking the words of other poets) and sharing them.
Relationship Status
Twice married, twice divorced
Family
five grown children ages 41 to 19, sadly, no contact with my two oldest daughters, adopted son in an institution for the mentally disabled, close with my son and daughter--my two youngest.
Interests & Hobbies
Lover of making things of wood, of paper; lover of conversation and connection; lover of beauty--natural or human made; there are some things I hate, as well--won't list them here, though. Intensely psychological in my understanding of myself and others.
Mon 1 Sep, 2008 09:35 pm - I do not know Yiddish but am using this word in a poem and need to know how to speak it properly. I've looked for audio dictionaries on line unsuccessfully. (view)
