Born:  St. Louis, Missouri, 1956 

Resides:  Northeast Alabama 

Published Works:  "Imperfect Logic," published January 2000, PoetWorks Press 

Publication Credits:  include Maelstrom Magazine; Niederngasse Magazine, included in the LINKS anthology of poets, PoetWorks Press; Paper Souls: An Anthology. 
 

"I live in the hill country of Northern Alabama with my wife and fellow poet, Carol Tilley-Williams.  Together, we study the craft while raising two of our four wonderful kids. I have studied the art/craft of poetry for four years through books, the internet, various workshops and discussions with other serious poets.  I rarely submit my work, preferring instead at this juncture in my writing, to study and write for myself." 

"There are certainly many styles of poetry in today's literary scene. While appreciative of all styles, I find myself drawn toward the art of poetry.  People tend to label a poet's work, i.e. narrative, confessional, formalist, language, avant-garde, minimalism, the list could go on and on and on. Eventually it all comes down to one thing; what do you personally enjoy reading/writing?  My preference leans toward causing one to think. Some have called it "academic" babble.  This may be so, however, I have never studied this craft in the halls of higher learning. Life doesn't always offer this opportunity to all.  I prefer to observe and write through the abstract, utilizing (and experimenting with) syntax and language to "strike a chord" in one's emotions, although I have written in different styles and will continue to do so, thus allowing the poem to direct its own course, to a point.  Life is not always love, nature and beauty. It is more basic in nature, this is what I try to capture, though not always successfully.  I follow one simple rule learned from Zukofsky, "the poet's major aim is not to show himself but that order that of itself will speak to all men."