Steve Abbott was a leading figure of the 1980s San Francisco literary scene, an acclaimed poet, novelist and critic who taught writing at the University of San Francisco and the Naropa Institute. Abbott edited Poetry Flash magazine, and his work influenced countless writers including Kathy Acker and Alice Notley.
Since his death of AIDS in 1992, Abbott's daughter Alysia has kept his work alive through public readings and the excellent website www.steveabbott.org, a chronicle of his life and work.
In these MP3Lit.com exclusive recordings, Alysia Abbott performs her father's poems "Elegy" and "A Moveable Feast."
On Steve Abbott: "Sex and horror always get me going... Abbott's got lots of it... plus intelligence... most important, his fine sensitivity toward how things are in this world." -Kathy Acker
"I'm hardly the only writer who has benefitted greatly from his support and criticism, and who misses him and who owes him a debt of gratitude for all kinds of things. I hope that something of him -- his work, his memory, hopefully both -- will survive the ravages caused by all the past and future losses we've faced and have yet to face, not to mention all the forgetfulness we've had to learn to do just to get through our lives with any pleasure at all." -Dennis Cooper
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