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A native of Long Island NY, Tom Hamill has spent most of his life in California. He graduated with a B. A. in Music from California State University, Long Beach, and has composed and performed with numerous jazz, rock and classical ensembles, most notably, the San Francisco based groups The Outpatients (1980s and 90s) and The Lunatarians (through 2010). In addition to his prolific musical output, he has written three novels, hundreds of poems, and his works have appeared in over one hundred literary publications. He currently lives with his wife, painter and mixed media artist Diana Busse in San Diego, CA.

Reviews

“With his intelligent, often religious-themed works, poet-composer Tom Hamill manages to evoke current and ancient times—sometimes concurrently, cleverly drawing parallels between the two. For example, in the somewhat deceptively titled ‘That Old Time Babylon,’ he interweaves images of that long-ago land with those of modern-day Babylons L.A. and Vegas, a correlation that could have been clichéd in lesser poetic hands. With a seamless blend of literary, philosophical, and pop-culture references, Tom may remind readers of a latter-day Eliot. And in many of his poems, his musicianship is made manifest in carefully constructed cadences that get readers’ toes—as well as their gray matter—tapping.”  -- John Barry,   Managing Editor, lexmaniac.org