ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Albert DeGenova grew up in Chicago and now lives with his family in Oak Park, Illinois. From 1978-1980 he was an editor of the Oyez Review (published by Roosevelt University); in June of 2000 he launched the literary/arts journal After Hours, for which he continues as publisher and AvantRetro which appesars throughout the greater Chicago/Midwest area. His book, Back Beat (a collection of poetry combined with memoir tracing the influences of the Beat movement on two contemporary poets), was co-authored with poet Charles Rossiter and published by Cross-Roads Press in 2001 (a second edition was erased in June 2006 by Fractal Edge Press). Of Back Beat, Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote, "Back Beat beats everything for being beater than the Beats". DeGenova received his MFA in Writing from Spalding University, Louisville. He is a blues saxiphonist and one-time comtributuing editor to Down Beat magazine.