R. M. Ryan is the author of Vaudeville in the Dark, which was lauded by the New York Times as having been "written at the juncture of rapture and rupture." He is also the author of an earlier volume of poetry called Goldilocks in Later Life and a novel called The Golden Rules. In addition, for six years, Ryan was the lyricist for the northern California rock-and-roll band The Thugz and wrote many of the songs on their two CD?s released by Puffin records?Goin? To Town and Peace of Mind. Carol Polsgrove writes that "R. M. Ryan's poems are not for the faint of heart. They saunter, they soar, they dive down to despair." He is the husband of biographer Carol Sklenicka. 

January 1st, 1945 in (Age 79)