H. Dirksen Bauman is a Professor at Gallaudet University, and THE POETS has written extensively on the themes of American Sign Language literary theory and poetry. Sofia Abad was born in Polillo, Quezon in the Philippines and Bei Dao is an internationally acclaimed Chinese poet who has came to New York in 1972. She been short-listed for the Nobel Prize. He has lived in exile has been an active member of since the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989. He is a the Filipino-American community, leading member of the Misty School of poets and continues working for the Philippine American to serve as the poetic conscience of China’s dissident move- Government Employees of New ments, as he has for over twenty years. His books include Old York, and a member of the Filipino Snow, Landscape Over Zero, and, most recently, Unlock. Community Network. Charles Bernstein is one of the leading figures of the Ammiel Alcalay is a poet, L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E school of poetry. He is the author critic, and scholar. During the of more than 20 books, including Republics of Reality: war in the former Yugoslavia, 1975 – 1995 and My Way: Speeches and Poems. He is the he served as a vital primary David Gray Professor of Poetry and Letters at SUNY Buffalo, source for providing access where he is Director of the Poetics Program and Executive to Bosnian voices in the Editor of the Electronic Poetry Center. American media. He has edited and translated numer- Toni Blackman is a rap lyricist, ous books, including Rezak writer, and performer whose Hukanovic’s The Tenth Circle of Hell, the first survivor’s work helps bring teens to a account in English from a victim held in a Serbian concentra- new love of language. She is tion camp. He teaches at Queens College. the founder of The Freestyle Union, an organization dedi- Elena Alexander writes poetry and “fictionnonfiction.” She cated to the elevation of hip organizes readings for the MAD ALEX Arts Foundation and hop music and art culture through cipher workshops, curates in-depth, live readings of all varieties of text, covering leadership training, artist development and performance. all communities. Her most recent work is Footnotes: Six Choreographers Inscribe the Page, and her poetry and prose Max Blagg is the author of several have appeared in many journals and anthologies. books, most recently Pink Instrument, a collection of poems; a Arts of Apsara Seth Dip novel, Diving for Blondes; and the (plays tro), Phan Keo (plays forthcoming book-length poem khim), Von Noth (plays Autobio-a-gogo. He has collabo- take), Mono Lay (plays rated with a diverse array of artists, skor), Vath Chum (vocal), and wrote the text for two artists’ and Srey Rieth Man (vocal), books, Jerelyn Hanrahan’s Notations on a Trek and James all learned ayai Brown’s New Poems/New Drawings. and other traditional music while growing up in Robert Bly has been a practicing poet for Cambodia. After surviving over thirty years, and has, according to forced labor, starvation, and disease during the Killing Fields, Library Journal, “an insured place as a they each fled to refugee camps in neighboring Thailand, major figure in American poetry.” His where they returned to their passion for their instruments. most recent books are Eating the Honey They arrived to the U.S. in the early 1980s. of Words and Morning Poems, and he has published several books of cultural Maggie Balistreri is the co-host criticism, including the bestseller Iron John, which launched with Jackie Shoeler, of the popu- the men’s movement to national fame. lar Pink Pony West reading series. Her first chapbook, The Evasion Jean Binta Breeze is an actress, English Dictionary, has been dancer, choreographer, and theatri- flying off the shelves at St. Mark’s cal director. Her work appears in bookstore, and she has been featured at many NYC venues, her collections, Ryddim Ravings from The Knitting Factory to CBGB’s. and Other Poems, Spring Cleaning, and On the Edge of an Island. 32 Lee Ann Brown’s most recent book, Tina Chang’s work has appeared in THE POETS Polyverse, won the 1996 New American many journals and anthologies. She Poetry Series Competition. She currently has received awards form the Academy serves as editor of the independent of American Poets, Poets & Writers, press Tender Buttons, which publishes Villa Montalvo, and Fundacion experimental poetry by women, and Valparaiso, and is the recipient of the teaches writing at St. John’s University Van Lier Fellowship. in Staten Island, Bard College, and Lesley University, and through Teachers Kassahun Checole founded Red Sea & Writers Collaborative. Press, the publisher and distributor of Third World Books. He dedicates his global travels to spreading the literatures Regie Cabico is a performer, come- of Africa, and is especially interested in intra-African dian, teacher, and poet par excel- translations, often making the first translation of texts lence who took first place in the between neighboring languages. 1997 National Poetry Slam as a member of the winning team, Steve Clay, the publisher of Granary Books, is an editor, Mouth Almighty. He co-edited curator, and archivist specializing in the art and literature of Poetry Nation: A North American the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. He co-authored, with Rodney Phillips, Anthology of Fusion; his most A Secret Location on the Lower East Side: Adventures in recent collection of poems is enti- Writing 1960 – 1989 and co-edited, with Jerome Rothenberg, tled I Saw Your Ex-Lover Behind the Starbucks Counter. A Book of the Book: Some Works & Projections About the Book of Writing. Charles Cantalupo is a poet, essayist, translator, critic, Carol Conroy, author of the book of poems, The Beauty Wars, and playwright. He is facilitates a monthly memorization circle at Poets House Professor of English and and helps create special events at Teachers & Writers Comparative Literature at Collaborative. The Pennsylvania State Jayne Cortez works extensively University, and co-director with the rhythms of jazz and blues. of an initiative devoted to She has made nine recordings with the presentation and critical her band, The Firespitters, and has discussion of African languages and literatures. His many written ten collections of poetry, publications include Poetry, Mysticism, and Feminism: from including Somewhere in Advance th’ nave to the chops, a book of literary criticism; Anima/l Wo/ of Nowhere. Her poems have been man and Other Spirits, a collection of poetry; and the transla- translated into 28 languages, and tion, We Have Our Voice: Selected Poetry of Reesom Haile. she has received awards from The Joseph Castronovo, a Deaf child of National Endowment for the Arts, Deaf parents, received his first New York Foundation on the Arts, poetry award at a Deaf youth and The International African Festival, as well as the American convention when he was 17. He Book Award. has conducted a Nordic poetry Enid Dame, along with her husband, poet Donald Lev, is workshop in Sweden and “Primal the co-editor of Home Planet News, Poetry” workshops at three a literary tabloid that celebrated schools for the Deaf. His American- its 20th anniversary in 1999. Her Sign-Language poetry has been collections of poetry include On the seen at the Los Angeles Poetry Road to Damascus, Maryland, and Festival and Gallaudet University. Anything You Don’t See, and she is Mary Ann Caws is a Distinguished Professor of English, co-editor of the anthology Which French, and Comparative Literature at CUNY Graduate Lilith? Feminist Writers Recreate the School. She recently edited Manifesto: A Century of Isms, a World’s First Woman. She teaches groundbreaking anthology of poetry manifestos, which creative writing at Rutgers University explores the genre both as literature and as a history of the and is currently a lecturer at New evolution of poetic consciousness. Jersey Institute of Technology. 33 Fielding Dawson is an acclaimed novelist and teacher whose Call You If We Need You: Experiences of Women Working work serves as a vital link between prisons and the public. He Construction, selected as a New York Times Notable Book. A directed the PEN Prison Writing Workshop Program and longtime activist, she has used poetry, installation, and appears weekly on WBAI’s “Wake-Up Call,” reading letters theater to address gender issues in the workplace. and writing by inmates and interviewing individuals on prison-related issues. Ruel Espejo still hasn’t found a title for what she does, but remains optimistic. Her days include writing and working in Frances Dominguez was born in Hagonoy, Bulacan, and was that odd stretch of space between art and technology. raised in Dagupan City, Pangasinan. While working on her Someday, she hopes to live near the ocean. Master’s, she and her family immigrated to the United States. She has helped to organize a Balagtasan at the Kalayaan Hall Daniel Ferri, Haiku slam pioneer, of the Philippine Center. created the Head-to-Head Haiku competition and has been the Jesse Dominguez (translator) was born Headmaster for it at the National in Balanga, Bataan, Philippines. He is an Poetry Slam Tournament since 1995. MBA Graduate of Ateneo De Manila and A featured poet in the movie was voted Mr. Ateno of 1977. Married Slamnation, he is a sixth-grade with has two sons, he resides in Queens, teacher and a regular commentator New York, and is currently connected on NPR’s “All Things Considered” with Primerica Financial Services. and Chicago Public Radio’s “848.” Cornelius Eady is the co-founder, with Toi Derricotte, of Cave Flying Words consists of Peter Canem, the country’s only workshop/retreat dedicated to Cook, a Deaf performer, and serving African American poets.