I am a senior poet residing in Reading, Pa., one of our country's poorest cities. I live in the downtown and am confronted daily by the facts of poverty and its running mate, racism. These facts color what I write, even if not always overtly. I attended Dartmouth College (B.A.) and Columbia University (M.A.). My last job of eighteen years was as a wine salesman/manager/educator. I've had my poems appear in half a dozen publications. I've "sort of" educated myself attending summer workshops (Bread Loaf, Skidmore, U Va., and the Vermont College of Fine Arts).