About the Author

Ray is an ex-Texas technofreak who repairs computers. He's always been married and loves dogs. He does not like republicans, but is willing to make an exception if they are truly gullible and can stand bisexuals.

He's a hippie-socialist wannabe who writes poems for thrills and because he gets to be anything he wants. Poetry lets him fool around with powerful symbols. It's like WalMart sold atom bombs.

Besides poems, he likes evolution, electronics, artificial life, and industrial design (toasters are good, but he is tired of chairs). He also owns a blue fish.

Publications: Ray "published" his first chapbook by secretly placing copies in local bookstores and libraries. (Of course he added cards to the card-index.) There is one copy that still exists in his home-town library (shh, don't tell anyone). His poems have appeared in Enterzone, RealPoetik, CrossConnect, 33 Review, Morpo Review, Agnieszka's Dowry, Electronic Soapbox, Katanaville, 256 Shades of Gray, TransMog, Sparks, So It Goes..., Sand River Journal, BiSexual Journal, Cherry Street, The Wicked, Surreal Voices, billetdoux, Droplet Journal, No Trace, Sub-UrbanTerrain, Biopsy, his own Word Biscuit E-letter and elsewhere. An electronic edition of his chapbook: years of water (Word Biscuit Press) is available free via email (warning: not many of them are funny). Send requests to: ray@vais.net

Poetry beliefs: Words mean too much; but good poets can often correct this. Now don't get me wrong, i'm very serious about writing poetry, it's the product i find amusing. A poem is written first in its writer's language. When you read it, you are translating it into your own language. Which act requires more skill and creativity, depends on the individual writer or reader. Poetry? Obsession? Well, at least i'm not out in the streets shooting people.