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. 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. 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.

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. 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. 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.