Collected Earlier Poems

Toby Olson began writing poetry while in high school and he continued writing it while in the U.S. Navy, and later as a student at Occidental College in Los Angeles. He received a Master's Degree at Long Island University in New York, after which he taught Creative Writing at Temple University in Philadelphia. His first novel was The Life of Jesus, and this was followed by eleven books of fiction and many books of poetry. He considers himself a poet who also writes fiction, and now, in his mid-eighties, he continues in the writing of both arts.

The first books included in this volume were published by Walter Hamady's Perishable Press, and these were followed by books issued by Karl Young's Membrane Press, Barlenmir House, Doctor Generosity's Press, Landlocked Press, Permanent Press, and New Directions. The period covered is 1969-1984.

Toby Olson has written poetry and fiction for the past sixty years. He has published eleven novels, a collection of short stories, and fifteen books of poetry. He is the recipient of the Pen/Faulkner award for the most distinguished work of American fiction and Guggenheim, Rockefeller, and National Endowment for the arts fellowships. He lives in Philadelphia and North Truro on Cape Cod, where he does most of his writing.