Lydia Tomkiw

American poet, singer and songwriter. She was born August 6, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois; she died September 4, 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona. Her published poetry collections are 'Ballpoint Erection'. (1st issue 1978. 2nd 1979), 'Obsessions' (1979), 'Popgun Sonatas' (1980) - all MOD Distribution, Chicago. After teaming up with Don Hedeker to form Algebra Suicide the first printed volume 'Big Skin' appeared in 1986 as Audio + Text package on Cause & Effect. 'Dreadful Swimmers', 1989 on Wide Skirt Press, UK was her final text only collection published during her lifetime. In 2020 a book with facsmile reproductions of all above, her texts which were set to music and a wealth of before unpublished poems edited by Dan Shepelavy was published by Universal Exports Of America, including a free download of 'Big Skin'.