Michael Perkins (poet)

Walking Woodstock: Journeys into the Wild Heart of America's Most Famous Small Town. (With Will Nixon) Bushwhack Books, Woodstock, N.Y. 2009.

Michael Perkins grew up in Portsmouth and Dayton, Ohio. His family was from Eastern Kentucky, of Welsh and Cherokee lineage. He graduated from Ohio University, Athens, 1963 after studies at The New School. At 16 he sent poems to Evergreen Review, and received encouragement from editor Irving Rosenthal, author of Sheeper and editor of Big Table magazine. Perkins lived in the East Village, 1963–69, working as a bookstore owner, caseworker, and remedial reading teacher. He became editor of Tompkins Square Press. Wrote for The Village Voice, published in little magazines. Associated with Samuel R. Delany, Andrei Codrescu, Thomas M. Disch, John Wieners, Rene Ricard, Ira Cohen, Ray and Bonnie Bremser. His wife, the painter Renie Perkins, committed suicide in 1968, leaving two children. Traveled in Europe with them 1969–70. Began writing erotic novels for Essex House in California, along with David Meltzer, Charles Bukowski, Philip José Farmer, Evil Companions (Samuel R. Delany wrote in his introduction that "Evil Companions is an astonishing, rich and fascinating classic") caused a sensation when it appeared in 1968. He became editor of Croton Press, Ltd., backed by his friend Harold M. Wit, and also worked as an editor for Maurice Girodias, Richard Kasak, and Al Goldstein. (About The Secret Record Gay Talese wrote, "Some of the most interesting and perceptive literary criticism in recent years has been done by Michael Perkins.") He was associated with philosopher John Brockman in the late Sixties, and close friends with Edward Dahlberg. Perkins's poetry is distinguished by a resolute adherence to the forms and themes of the great tradition of English and American poetry. About Carpe Diem, his new and selected poems, Henry Weinfield wrote in Notre Dame Review, "Michael Perkins writes with clarity, precision, directness, and with a quiet simplicity and sense of rectitude that are increasingly rare in contemporary poetry." Perkins was a close friend of the poet William Bronk from 1975 until the latter's death in 1999. In 1973 he moved to Woodstock, New York where he worked as a Program Director for local arts organisations, and as a freelance writer. As Program Director of The Woodstock Guild, he presented (with John Baker, Editor of Publishers Weekly) five major conferences on American publishing. In Woodstock he was associated with photographer Charles Gatewood, and painter William Pachner. He became an avid hiker, writing (with Will Nixon) Walking Woodstock. In 1986, he walked across Connecticut in a week.