Ted Joans

Theodore “Ted” Joans was born in Cairo, Illinois on July 4, 1928. He was an jazz poet, surrealist, trumpeter, and painter. His work stands at the intersection of several avant-garde streams and some have seen in it a precursor to the orality of the spoken-word movement, however he criticized the competitive aspect of “slam” poetry. Joans recieved the American Book Award for his book of poems Teducation, in 2001.

Ted Joans died, April 25, 2003 in Vancouver, British Columbia, due to complications from diabetes. He had 10 children. Photo Source, Fair use, Link