This book marks the 50 year anniversary of A. Razor in this world. There are 50 poems in this collection, 'one for each year of my life', as the author puts it. They are pieces of work written in the 50th year of this writer's life and shared with readers in this fund raising effort for Words As Works, a non-profit group that is dedicated to bringing books, readings and workshops on writing & publishing to people who are struggling against adversity in their lives, primarily people in shelters, jails, prisons, treatment programs, literacy programs and the like. Full proceeds of this book's purchase go to fund these activities.
About the Author: A. Razor was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1963, but was brought to California at the age of 1. He began writing and publishing around 1980 in various underground zines and publications, first in the Los Angeles area, then ever expanding outward from there as he was discovered by Drew Blood Press, Ltd. in 1984, where he published 11 chapbooks up to 1995. He has read his work at many readings and spoken word events over the years and been published in many types of publications, ranging from those that are considered reputable to those that are of ill repute. He became a member of the Hollywood Institute of Poetics in Los Angeles, CA in 2009. He has participated recently in the Poets In Prison panel at Beyond Baroque and the 2011 ALOUD reading series held at the Downtown Los Angeles Public Library. In 2012 he teamed up with Iris Berry to launch Punk Hostage Press, which has released 5 titles of his own work and where he has edited 10 more titles from as many writers, Danny Baker, Iris Berry, C.V. Auchterlonie, Carolyn Srygley-Moore, Rich Ferguson, Dennis Cruz, Frank Reardon, Alexndra Naughton, SB Stokes and Hollie Hardy. His long anticipated offering, 'Better Than A Gun In A Knife Fight' was released in May, 2012 on Punk Hostage Press, edited by Iris Berry with an introduction by Bucky Sinister. 2012 also saw the release of 'Drawn Blood: Collected Works on D.B.P., Ltd.1985-1995', also on Punk Hostage Press and with an introduction by Maureen McNally. A small, 48-page, commemorative edition of A. Razor's work was released just before December and entitled 'Small Catastrophes in a Big World', edited by the author. 'Beaten Up Beaten Down' was released on Punk Hostage Press the 22nd of November, 2012. It features an eclectic mix of writing styles, both poetic and prosaic, that reflect on the contemporary influences on the culture of this most marginal of artists. S.A. Griffin provides the colorful and apt Introduction for this book. Last December in 2014 he released a holiday themed collection, 'Days of Xmas Poems'. 2015 will see the hopeful release of the long awaited collection of short stories, 'Long Winded Tales of the Low Plains Drifter' and the poem/prose book 'Puro Purismo'. His writing has always explored the world that he has sought to be a part of and to rebel against at the same paradoxical moment. He has traveled extensively, seeking and enduring everything from homelessness and imprisonment to serenity and peace.