Gary Turchin

Gary Turchin grew up in Linden, New Jersey but has lived in Oakland, Calif. for the past 35 years. Gary is a performance poet, artist and writer. His interactive poetry show for kids, Gary T. & his PoetTree, features his original rhymes and poems, and has been presented in more than 350 schools and libraries throughout the state.

Gary has released an audiotape, On the Day Before Tomorrow!, and a CD, My Pants Want to Dance!, with his original verse. He has published two chapbooks of verse, I Want to Write a Poem, But..., and The Silly-Verse Universe.

Gary is the author/illustrator of The Book of Self & Other Drawings (1995), and his latest book, If I Were You (2011).

Gary was also a Knight-Ridder newspaper columnist (1999-2004) in an Oakland paper, and a graphic artist whose funny t-shirts designs were sold in major national catalogues. He wrote, performed and produced a one-man show about his life as a vagabond craft show artist and t-shirt designer that played on and off for two years in the Bay Area and Seattle.