Tom Pickard
was born in Newcastle, England in 1946, left school at 14, and in 1964 co – organized the Morden Tower poetry readings, “a Golden Bloomsday for the revival of British poetry in the 60s.” Called “the lyrical post – beat enfant terrible of the alternative poetry scene in 60s/70s UK,” he is credited with encouraging the British poet Basil Bunting to begin writing again. He was a great supporter of American experimental poetry, and gained a reputation as something of an ally among such poets as Robert Creeley, Allen Ginsberg, and Charles Olson. His most recent offerings, Hole in the Wall: New & Selected Poems and The Dark Months of May were published by Flood Editions in 2002 and 2004 respectively.