Elliott Nonas will be 90 on January 21, '05. Born in Brooklyn, he wrote his first poem at 16: 'He Was Young and He Died' about a friend who was killed sleigh-riding down Snake Hill in Highland Park. Drafted in '41, he spent 5 years in the armed services, rising from Infantry machine gun private to Air Force captain. What best characterizes him is his stunning immediacy and vibrancy as a person and a writing style that expresses him absolutely. When you read Elliott, you get the sum total of 90 years of lived experience through his eyes. Elliott's eyes are very sharp. His poems have pungency, humor and sensuality. He is funny, street-smart, and unbowed. Working out at the gym four days a week may be a factor. "These are the poems of an unforgettable New York character, tough, resilient and full of life. Don't expect sentimentality or capitulation to a twilight life here. Elliott in person is, like his poetry, one-of-a-kind: resolutely affirmative, witty, robust, looking for the next adventure (always with a good-looking female). A bard of New York, but far from the ivory tower, accessible and eloquent, he's a one-man guide to staying with it, to extracting the last ounce of joy from life. He's done it, he's still doing it. Get ready for the ride." -David Evanier, Author, Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin | Don't Count Me Out by Elliott Nonas, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters