BIO: John Allen Barbato, was born September 4, 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a visual Artist and Performance Poet currently living in Oaxaca, Mexico.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT: The only sane response to insane times is to be an artist. I live in the mountains of southern Mexico and spend my days painting my visions of how I'd like the world to be.

PERFORMANCES: Velveeta Readings, Oroville Blues Festival; North Columbia Folk Festival; Sacramento Blues Festival; High Sierra Music Festival; Sacramento Poetry Marathon; Sonoma Poetry Festival; Whole Earth Festival; Heritage Festival; National Poetry Slam; Lord Buckley Festival of Poetry and Music

EXHIBITIONS: Artists' Gallery; North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center; Pine Street Café; Hickey's Place; Northern California Center for the Arts; Casa Overholt; La Olla Galleria, Oaxaca, MX; Festival del Arte San Sebastian, Etla, MX

PUBLICATIONS: Commedia Dell Arte, 1981 Music, Once Made, Like Love, 1985 Because I Dreamed of You Last Night, 1990 Face Up On Dash (audio cassette), 1990 Exuberance Despair Vision, 1995 Heartland America: A Gnashing of Teeth (video cassette), 1997 Cries, Cautionary Tales & Bald-faced Lies (video cassette), 1997 CONTRIBUTIONS TO: Deep Valley Review; Childbirth Alternative; Tule Review; Community Endeavor; Glyphs I, II, III; Wild Duck Review; ZYZZYVA