DERRICK c. BROWN is the winner of the 2013 Texas Book of The Year award for Poetry. He is a former paratrooper for the 82nd airborne and is the president of one of what Forbes and Filter Magazine call "...one of the best independent presses in the country", Write Bloody Publishing. He is the author of four books of poetry. The New York Times calls his work, "...a rekindling of faith in the weird, hilarious, shocking, beautiful power of words." He lives in Elgin Texas outside of Austin. He is represented by Olivia Wingate at Avalon, and is available for booking through Inland Empire and Blue Flower Arts.Quotes about Brown:"There's something that happens when you read Derrick Brown, a rekindling of faith in the weird, hilarious, shocking, beautiful power of words. When you read "Strange Light," when you read any of his work really, or when you have the fantastic fortune to watch him perform it in person, you yourself are a bit more alive."-New York Times"...one of the freshest and most moving poets you will ever see."-Austin American Statesman"I love Derrick Brown for the surprise of one word waking up next to another. One moment tender, funny or romantic, the next, visceral, ironic and revelatory--here is the full chaos of life."-Janet Fitch, White Oleander, Paint It Black"A wit as sharp as Sedaris, a sensibility as poignant as Sexton, Brown manages to blur the lines between cult writer and poet with remarkable ease and grace."-Anthem Magazine"He is probably one of America's greatest unknown literary talents. Derrick has blown honesty and humor into the darkness and has somehow made poetry cool again."-Nylon Magazine"Derrick Brown's work-both vibrant on and off the page-sizzles with jolting images and blasts of humor, yet retains a deep compassion at it's core. He has a heart the size of a Mack truck, but we're not sure who's behind the wheel."-Jeffrey McDaniel, The Forgiveness Parade, The Endarkenment"Derrick Brown was our favorite speaker at our High School for Writers Week. Organized, Hilarious and gave great writing advice."-Craig Schmidt, Teacher, Libertyville High SchoolDerrick C. Brown first discovered poetry in a foxhole when he was enlisted as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. His most recent collection, "Strange Light" is the winner of the 2013 Texas book of the year Award. It was commissioned by The Nation of Holland for the Noord Nederlandse Dans Collective to perform with 14 dancers, an orchestra and Brown reciting live. He began touring nationally with his poetry after his honorable discharge and has performed at over two thousand venues and universities, including national and international literary festivals such as Berlin Literature Festival, Glastonbury and AWP. He has toured with poets Anis Mojgani and Buddy Wakefield in the spoken word sensation known as the Poetry Revival, and with poet and actress Amber Tamblyn in a re-occuring show called The Lazers of Sexcellance. Brown's poem, A Finger, Two Dots, Then Me, was made into a short film and screened at over 40 international film festivals, winning 28 awards. He is popular for blending other art forms with poetry. The short film for his poem, A Finger, Two Dots, Then Me won over 40 awards on the 2012 film festival circuit.Brown toured Europe opening for the band Cold War Kids, chronicled in the documentary poetry concert film You Belong Everywhere. He has collaborated with comedian David Cross, All Tomorrow's Parties with The Flaming Lips, Delta Spirit, Richard Swift of The Shins (Poetry and music) and with painter Blaine Fontana. Brown is known for being an innovator in curating unique and creative poetry adventures like the Double Decker Poetry Bus Party and poetry shows at sea for Poetry Cruise. Brown performed his poetry on The Tonight show with Jay Leno, as well as for the Best American Contemporary Poetry Concert series,The Drums Inside Your Chest. He has curated literature festivals such as the Word x Word festival in Massachusetts. he runs the shelf life poetry project that sends damaged poetry books to homeless shelters and teen writing programs. Brown is a former weatherman and gondolier. He is currently the founder of Write Bloody Publishing, an independent book publisher in Austin, TX whose main principle is that all authors must tour and write as well on the page as they perform onstage. Write Bloody's concept is that poets should tour and promote themselves like rock bands, and that the publisher should be the source of energy for the revitalization of live poetry in America.SAMPLE EXCERPTS"Stop ruining love by wanting it so bad.""I used to tell people, poetry is hidden in everything. It isn't hiding.It is waiting, just waiting for someone to call it on a Thursday night, or ask it over for chili, or hold it tightly until it catches its breath."You are a Sunday porch I could do nothing onand feel like everything was happening."You cannot be abandoned. You can only be released."