Background
Ragan, James Joseph was born on December 19, 1944 in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of John and Teresa (Jakuba) Ragan.
( In Lusions, the internationally acclaimed poet James Ra...)
In Lusions, the internationally acclaimed poet James Ragan casts his eye on modern and ancient history in poems that put an original spin on the progression of the world. These are lyrical and witty poems about change and cultural evolution from an intellectual and insightful mind. Ragan explores humankind's cultural and mythical identities - from Prehistory, in which he muses on the "Birth of God (from an Early Photograph)" and "The Pebble Culture," when our distant ancestors turned "violence into culture," to the New World, where he covers such topics as Tuzla, the inner city, and the construction of a city mall. Once he catches up to the Premillennium, Ragan's poems are overwhelmed by a return to nature, perhaps the only antidote to our electronic age. Through brilliant wordplay and striking images, Lusions invents a mysterious and imaginative discourse on the point where the past and the present meet and the impact they have on a fragmented culture.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802116035/?tag=2022091-20
( In 1992, critically acclaimed poet James Ragan was in L...)
In 1992, critically acclaimed poet James Ragan was in Los Angeles when riots exploded across racial and class lines. That same year he was also living in Prague when Czechoslovakia divided into two separate nations, motivated by the principles of "nationalism." This odd coincidence forms the crux of his new, eagerly anticipated book of poetry. The poems in The Hunger Wall, named for a wall near the Prague Castle, take these two cultural sensibilities that seem worlds apart and explore the subtle nuances of their unlikely similarities. In beautifully crafted and metaphorically rich language, Ragan studies what it means to set a "border," whether it be political, racial, or economic. The Hunger Wall examines a continually changing world — a world of shifting cultural identities in which the widening gap between the rich and the poor is dangerously explosive.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802134785/?tag=2022091-20
(James Ragan s first book of poems originally published in...)
James Ragan s first book of poems originally published in 1979 unleashes its raw energy and emotional power like a collection of classic paintings brought forth in a new retrospective. Hailed by Josephine Miles as an authoritative voice who will be recognized as an important voice, this distinguished collection is imbued with the social turbulence of the times and emotions of a young poet coming to terms with his family, mortality and the absurdities of modernity.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932800018/?tag=2022091-20
Ragan, James Joseph was born on December 19, 1944 in Duquesne, Pennsylvania, United States. Son of John and Teresa (Jakuba) Ragan.
Bachelor, Honorary Doctor of Philosophy, St. Vincent College, 1990. Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio University, 1971.
Independent poet, playwright, since 1971;
assistant professor writing, Ohio U., 1971-1972;
screenwriter, Paramount Pictures, Hollywood, California, 1974-1977;
screenwriter, Arista Films, Los Angeles, 1976;
screenwriter, Kitty Films, Los Angeles and Paris, 1978;
screenwriter, Kairos-Balkan Island Films, Prague, Czech Republic, 1997;
lyricist, Alfa Music, Sony/Columbia Broadcasting System, Tokyo, 1979;
assistant professor, University Texas, El Paso, 1979-1981;
professor, director professional writing program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, since 1982. Visiting professor California Institute Technology, since 1989, Charles U., since 1993, Pierce College, Athens, Greece, summer 1973. Lecturer University of California at Los Angeles spring 1974.
Film writer, director Public Broadcasting Service, El Paso, 1981. Book reviewer Los Angeles Times, since 1985. Guest instructor Oklahoma Arts Institute, Quartz Mountain, since 1986.
Poetry consultant Los Angeles TheaterCtr., since 1986. Poetry consultant Los Angeles City Corp Plaza "Poet's Walk".
(James Ragan s first book of poems originally published in...)
( In Lusions, the internationally acclaimed poet James Ra...)
( In 1992, critically acclaimed poet James Ragan was in L...)
( In 1992, critically acclaimed poet James Ragan was in L...)
Board of directors (honorary) Swan Foundation, Pittsburgh, since 1970. Fellow The MacDowell Colony. Member Writers Guild American West, Associated Writing Programs, Modern Language Association, Poetry Society American, Modern Poetry Association.
Married Debora Ann Skovranko, May 29, 1982. Children: Tera Vale, Mara Jame, Jameson Jon.