LyfordTom

About the Artist

Tom Lyford is a writer/poet/presenter. He taught, interpreted, performed, collected and wrote poetry during and after his 34 years as a Maine high school English teacher. Now he leads workshops and provides school readings/assemblies for Maine English classes,civic groups and nursing homes. A regular at various open-mics, he hosts his own at Thompson Free Library in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine.
Recent poems have been published in Sakana, Bangor Metro, Off the Coast, Village Soup, The Bangor Daily News and Wolf Moon Press. In 2005, he published two chapbooks: PLEASANT STREET: A CHAPBOOK OF BABYBOOMER BALLADS &&&& POEMS and POETIC LICENSE. Two chapbooks followed in 2006: ON BECOMING A MAN OF SUBSTANCE and AMERICANA. His fifth chapbook, KILROY WAS HERE: ME TOO! came out in August of 2009. Reviews of PLEASANT STREET, AMERICANA, and KILROY WAS HERE may be viewed at www.tomlyford.typepad.com .
Activity-directors for clubs or civic groups or English teachers (preferably grades 4 through 12) doing poetry units will find Mr. Lyford''s program both entertaining as well as a flexible educational supplement. The repertoire includes everything from the classics to slam poetry, the poetry of others and/or his original writing. It is virtually an anthology of literary, humorous, philosophical, psychological, sports-oriented, issues-oriented, war-related poems and lyrics, to name a few categories. Presenting poetry to students who convincingly claim to despise poetry is a specialty. Readings and performances are tailored to different age and interest groups. Mr. Lyford can discuss the art &&&& craft of writing poems. A drama coach for 20 years, oral interpretation is also a specialty.
In 2009, Tom''s first off-beat prose memoir was relased: WORK AVERSION TRAUMA: A Lifetime of Suffering.
Tom served on the steering committee for the Belfast Poetry Festival (www.festivo.org)in 2005.