Ed Roberts - father, son, grandfather, writer, poet, publisher, and works for a major car rental company. At 51, Ed is a man that enjoys sharing all of these roles, sometimes in the same day.He was born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His writing is influenced both by his long residence in Oklahoman, his Native American heritage, and by national and international topics including cultural, political, and social issues. In 2005 Roberts was asked to represent the U.S. with 9 other writers at the Odyssey International Festival that was held in Amman, Jordan.His poems are mainly written in free verse ignoring traditional rules such as regular meter, rhyme, and alliteration. According to Roberts these characteristics of poetry "would not translate the same in other languages." (The Oklahoman, August 21 2005) The focus of his work is rather its critical content. Therefore, social topics such as drinking and driving, rape, hunger, poverty, political and historic issues build the content of his modernist poetry.He also serves as author and publisher for the Poetry For Life Project, www.thepoetryforlifeproject.com, which he founded to reach out to students to help deal with life issues including drug and alcohol abuse, suicide, and the loss of family members.Books by Ed Roberts -A Poet's Last Stand 2002I'm Still Standing 2003Everything Must Have a Beginning, a Middle, and an End 2005& Whispers, Tears, Prayers, and Hope 2008 (Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry)