Poet, writer, musician, and actor Jim Carroll was born August 1, 1950, in New York City. By the time he was eighteen years old, Carroll had established a reputation as an emerging poet. Most of his writing is autobiographical, describing life in New York, friends, and his ten-year heroin addiction. Carroll’s poetry collections include Organic Trains (1967), Four Ups and One Down (1970), Living at the Movies (1973), and The Book of Nods (1986). His nonfiction includes The Basketball Diaries (1978), which was adapted for film in 1995, and Forced Entries: the Downtown Diaries, 1971-73 (1987). In addition, he released four records with The Jim Carroll Band and several spoken-word recordings.
"Jim Carroll." Contemporary Authors Online (reproduced in Biography Resource Center). http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC (accessed October 2005).
The Jim Carroll Collection includes ten typescript poems signed by the author. Although the poems are undated, they were included in Angel Hair magazine, which was edited by Lewis Warsh, from 1966-1969. The group includes five poems that were anthologized in Living at the Movies, including "For the Secret Poets in Kansas," about William Burroughs, and "Poem (for Clarice Rivers)" which appeared in Rolling Stone.