Poetry. The seven poems that make up (SOMA)TIC MIDGE were each written after eating a single color of food for a day, and carrying the color externally. For the RED poem CA Conrad ate only red foods while wearing a red wig, right side straight, left side in curls. The BLUE poem was written while listening to Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet" on a loop for a day. Anti war, yet at the same time not taking the magic of renewal for granted, CA Conrad's WHITE poem was written after writing "108" on his forehead with his boyfriend's semen, which of course was white for a little while.

Author Hometown: PHILADELPHIA, PA USA



About the author: CAConrad is the recipient of The Gil Ott Book Award for THE BOOK OF FRANK (Chax Press, 2009; 2nd, expanded edition Wave Books, 2010). He is also the recipient of the 2011 Pew Fellowship in the Arts by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. He is the author of A BEAUTIFUL MARSUPIAL AFTERNOON: NEW (SOMA)TICS (Wave Books, 2012), Advanced Elvis Course (Soft Skull Press, 2009), (SOMA)TIC MIDGE (Faux Press, 2008), Deviant Propulsion (Soft Skull Press, 2006), and a collaboration with poet Frank Sherlock titled THE CITY REAL & IMAGINED (Factory School, 2010). The son of white trash asphyxiation, his childhood included selling cut flowers along the highway for his mother and helping her shoplift. Visit him online at http://CAConrad.blogspot.com and with his friends at http://PhillySound.blogspot.com.