Joseph Crow Riley

Joseph Crow Riley (born June 4, 1968 as Raymond Joseph Owles IV) is an American poet, author, theologian, and historian. He achieved moderate recognition as a writer twice, once in the early-nineties for his poetry under the name R. J. Owles, and again after the turn of the millennium for both his poetry and his short-fiction. He was born June 4, 1968, in Vineland, New Jersey.
Work
His writing style ranges from formal verse to stream of consciousness. Yet, His poems are often laced with cynicism, anxiety, disquiet and edginess.
His entrance into the literary arena occurred in 1991 with the publishing of his brief, but highly acclaimed, poem THE ONE. Over the course of the next year, a drizzling of his poetry appeared in various literary journals; nevertheless, most of his writing at the time proved to be far too conventional and undisciplined, and he increasingly found it more difficult to be published. Frustrated by his vanishing literary presence, as well as his admittedly limited style and the resultant artistic stagnation, he retired from writing in the autumn of 1993.
It was during his “Boston Period” (1999-2001) that he began to write poetry once again, adding short-fiction to his resume as well. The Boston Period included an informal study in the styles and structure of traditional poetry, to the exclusion of almost everything else. This informal study began to clash with the time and financial constraints of his formal study and he left school to concentrate entirely on his writing.
In July of 2001, he moved to Carneys Point Township, New Jersey, where, for the next few years, he wrote a variety of short-fiction, the most notable of which are TIME EXPIRED, THE WISHES OF AN ORDINARY MAN, and THE NON-PRODUCTIVE COUGH. He continued to write poetry as well, crafting such masterpieces as HATE CRIME,written in the style of a kyrielle until the last line which strays from the form, making the line more powerful.
Since 2004, Joseph Crow Riley has almost exclusively devoted himself to non-fiction, writing a variety of theological and political articles under a plurality of names. In 2008, he finally compiled a book of his poetry entitled HERE BE DRAGONS, which is slated for publishing in 2009.
Joseph Crow Riley currently resides in Carneys Point, NJ where is continues to be mildly influential in the literary world as a writer, editor, and critic. He also serves as a mentor to young writers, who are struggling with their craft. Joseph Crow Riley publishes Earthworm, an online literary journal.
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