Gary Glazner

Glazner makes his living as a poet. Denise Kusel, of The Santa Fe New Mexican says, "Poet Gary Mex Glazner belies a mild-manner with an in-your-face delivery. He shouts. He postures. He's a madman, insisting you get it - all of it. Because he holds nothing back he's insightful and dangerous, as only a good poet can be." Glazner is the curator of Word Art: Poetry Broadside Series at the Palace of Governor's Museum in Santa Fe. He spent the first two weeks of March this year in Laos studying the poetic form "Kuan An," which is chanted by the Buddhist monks. Glazner is the Minister of Fun for Poetry Slam Incorporated. See poetryslam.com. Glazner's poetry and film, Busload of Poets was featured along with readings by Gary Snyder, Anne Waldman and Sherman Alexi at the 20th anniversary of Tucson Poetry Festival.

ABOUT GARY MEX GLAZNER

Gary Mex Glazner makes his living as a poet. Pontiac featured Glazner's poetry in April 2002 on the Beat Fest; a 17-city traveling festival organized by the New York based Knitting Factory. The tour also featured the jazz trio "Vibes", and will be the subject of a documentary film to be produced by the Knitting Factory. Gary is the Minister of Fun for Poetry Slam Incorporated. Glazner was featured along with Gary Snyder, Anne Waldman and Sherman Alexi at the 20th anniversary of Tucson Poetry Festival. He is writing a book for Sherman Asher Press to be released in the spring of 2003 entitled, "THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED: How to Make your Living as a Poet". He is a graduate of Sonoma State University's Expressive Arts program with an emphasis in poetry. In 1990, Glazner produced the first National Poetry Slam in San Francisco. His poetry has appeared in anthologies, periodicals, on CD, radio, television, and underwater on the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. His poems have been translated into Chinese, Moldavian, Nepali, and Vietnamese. In 1997, Poets and Writers Inc. awarded him a grant to work with Alzheimer patients using poetry.

In 1998, Glazner and his wife Margaret traveled to 18 countries, meeting with poets and working on translations. This journey has resulted in a manuscript of travel stories and poems entitled, "Ears on Fire" which was published in the summer of 2002 by La Alameda Press. Glazner won the individual series in the first Poetry Olympics held in Stockholm in October 1998.

In November of 1999 to June 2001, Glazner was named Poet in Residence at the Inn on the Alameda, in Santa Fe. The hotel placed his poems on the guest's pillows. To date the hotel has given away 45,862 poems from his southwestern series. Glazner edited the anthology entitled "Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry" which documents the first ten years of the National Poetry Slam which was published in July of 2000 by Manic D Press. Glazner organized S1amAmerica, a poetry bus ride across America, which featured 37 readings over a 30 day period in 36 cities. Sponsored by Grand Mariner, the tour took place in the Summer of 2000 and over 100 poets participated. Glazner is the director and executive producer of a documentary film on the tour. The film "Busload of Poets", was selected by the Santa Fe Film Festival and had its world premiere in December 2001 on opening night of the festival. Glazner along with Amalia Ortiz won the 2001 Tag-Team Championship vs Quincy Troupe and Pat Payne at the Taos Poetry Circus. In the fall of 2001, Glazner worked with the YMCA teaching children ages 5 to 12, and with the program Read, Write, Succeed.

Glazner was born in Oklahoma in 1957. His middle name Mex is shortened from New Mexico. His great grand parents homesteaded in Stanley, New Mexico in the early 1900's and named their son Mex. The name has been passed down since then. He lives outside of Santa Fe with his wife Margaret and their dog Federico.

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