A. Razor

A. RAZOR was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1963, but was brought to California at the age of 1. He was raised with a strong desire to read and write, but an even greater desire to survive his circumstances, which has aided his experience and longevity so far. He began writing and publishing around 1980 in various underground zines and publications, first in the Los Angeles area, then expanding outward after he was discovered by Drew Blood Press, Ltd. in 1984. He published 11 titles on that now defunct press by 1995.

He has read his work at many readings and spoken word events over the years and has been published in a variety of publications, ranging from the reputable to those that are of ill repute. He has fought hard to live and express his art in many different ways and in many different places. He became a member of the Hollywood Institute of Poetics in Los Angeles, CA in 2009. He has participated recently in the Poets in Prison panel at Beyond Baroque and the 2011 ALOUD reading series held at the Downtown Los Angeles Public Library. His long anticipated offering, Better Than a Gun in a Knife Fight has just been released on Punk Hostage Press, 2012, edited by Iris Berry. Another book, Beaten Up Beaten Down, is also in the works with Punk Hostage Press, as well as a collection of Haiku inspired poems that will be edited by S.A. Griffin and a collection of the early Drew Blood Press, Ltd. work entitled Drawn Blood, Selected Poems of A. Razor 1985-1995.

His writing has always explored the world that he has sought to be a part of and to rebel against at the same paradoxical moment. He has traveled extensively, seeking and enduring everything from homelessness and imprisonment to serenity and peace.