[the poetry billboard] - the poet : Duane Locke

Duane Locke


Duane Locke, Doctor of Philosophy, English Renaissance literature, Professor Emeritus of the Humanities was Poet in Residence at the University of Tampa for over 20 years.

Has had over 5,000 poems published. As of September, 2003, 5034 poems published.

Over 2,000 were published in print magazines, such as American Poetry Review, Nation, and Bitter Oleander. In September 1999, he became a cyber poet, added over 3,000 poems published in E zines.

He is the author of 14 print books of poetry, and in 2002, added 3 E books, The Squids Dark Ink, From a Tiny Room, and The Death of Daphne.

He is also a painter, having many exhibition, his latest at the city art museum in Gainesville, Florida. Also, a photographer, he now has over 184 photos in e-zines. He does close-ups of trash tossed away in alleys.

His old biographical notes, published many times, are now obsolete. The notes stated that he lived in an old decaying house in the sunny Tampa slums. The house was condemned by the city of Tampa inspectors, and after his living at this location for fifty years, he was force to leave within six days.

The forced move was due to the fall of the bungalow in his large back yard. The bungalow contained a priceless literary scholarly library which is now under debris. An army of inspectors descended and decided he could no longer live in his home, so Duane Locke became one of the homeless.

The fall also crushed his car, so Duane Locke is car-less.

The saddest accompaniment was that his seven cats had to be sent to the humane society and his dog, Pookie, put to sleep. Duane Locke is now cat-less and dog-less.

As a transient, he is temporarily living, bereft of all his possessions, as an exile by Lake Morton in Lakeland, Florida.

duanelocke@netzero.net



POEMS

Resurrection of Time Now Dead By A Poet Going Blind, 69