Mervyn Taylor

Around the time when World War II was ending, Mervyn Taylor was born, just outside Port of Spain,Trinidad, in Belmont, an urban village formerly known as Freetown, founded by ex-slaves. In due course, he came to America and attended Howard and Columbia Univ. where he met poets Sterling Brown and Derek Walcott, respectively. In NYC he worked as a charge clerk in the garment district 'under a Jewish boss with a gangster's demeanor', and at Plenum Publishing and joined the writing workshop circuit, becoming a member of the infamous Bud Jones Poets, alongside Wesley Brown and Fatisha, that take-no-prisoners west coast refugee. Began a teaching career at Bronx Community College that expanded to various institutions, including The New School and The New York City public school system. Together with longtime friend poet/journalist Dawad Philip ran the Flash and Thunder Poetry series at Restoration Plaza in Brooklyn. Is a die-hard Carnival participant and costume designer, recently appearing in Dalton Narine's award winning documentary Mas Man. Sounds and images of the festival often surface in Taylor's poems, published in five volumes to date: An Island of His Own, The Goat, Gone Away, No Back Door, and the just out The Waving Gallery. He can be heard reading on the CD Road Clear, accompanied by bassist David Williams. Proud grandfather of four, his joy these days is writing collaborative poems with 7-year old Julian, who the poet swears is Julian, his father, come round again.