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Name:  I. R. Laws

Location:  Fresno, California

Age:  37

Pets:  Malcolm Brutus Dean (5/19/95-10/12/04)

Favorite Poet:  Calvin Miller (The Singer Trilogy: The Singer, The Song, 
and The Finale, poetic narrative of the Gospels) 

Favorite Poem:  "Knock Down the Door" by, uh . . . me

How long have you been writing poetry?: Since I was 18 years old.

What/Who inspires you to write?: Faith, marriage, music, observations, anger, joy, disgust, teaching, depression, fatherhood, laughter, occasional self-loathing, forgiveness, venting, truth, pain, students, stress, insomnia.

Favorite Quote or Motto: “The world is poor because her fortune is buried in the sky and all her treasure maps are of the earth.” (from The Finale by Calvin Miller).

Writing Awards, Publications, and other Achievements: I have edited two poetry books containing my own work and that of my students. (Haiku and Beyond 2000, and Here and There: A Collection of Poetry of Diverse Form and Inspiration). I am currently working on another book of my own poetry; mostly senryu, but a sprinkling of other forms--some of which I learned about at Shadow Poetry. :?)

Additional Poet Information: My other interests include chess, reading, origami, music, photography, and computers. I decided to present my work in collections based on form. Haiku, senryu, scifaiku, and lanterns are untitled. I decided to number the collections and triple-space the poems within the collections. By the way, scifaiku is an innovation of Tom Brinck. Adopting haiku’s characteristics of minimalism and immediacy, Brinck developed this variation in 1995. Science-fiction fans who write haiku, senryu, cinquain, or lanterns should check out his website: www.scifaiku.com.