Austin Straus

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Austin Straus moved to Southern California in 1978. He has been drawing and painting since childhood, but began writing seriously in his mid-thirties.
His poems and illustrations have appeared in such literary magazines and anthologies as: Alcatraz 3, Caliban, Grand Passion, Jacaranda Review, Red Dance Floor and The Maverick Poets.
Known as the host of KPFK’s The Poetry Connexion, he produced the show from October 1981 through early 1996.
A teacher of art, English and literature, poetry and philosophy, he is also an accomplished painter. His artwork is in several private collections (The Ruth & Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry, Barbara Pascal, Rik Pagano, et al.).
One of his complex “specialties” is one-of-a-kind books in which he combines poetry and graphics (one from which the cover of this book was taken). In spring of 2000 his painting “Choices” was commissioned by DeVry Institute and currently hangs in the West Hills campus library.
His recent honors include the One Man Show: “Austin Straus-Collages: Word + Image,” an exhibition (and poetry reading), February 12th-March 31st 2000 at Beyond Baroque Gallery, Venice, California. He was a 1997-98 “Writers on Site” resident, sponsored by Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center, Los Angeles.
His 1998 residency at LACMA was preceded by a February 1st lecture on visual poetry (art), accompanied by a slide show of examples from early art history through the present.
He enjoys performing his poetry, appears on several recordings, and frequently exhibits his artwork in conjunction with readings at libraries, community centers, galleries and other cultural venues. He currently resides in Los Angeles.
Source: http://www.redhen.org/authorDetail.asp?authorID=12