Bob Flanagan

was born in New York City on December 26, 1952 and grew up in Glenale, California. At a young age he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, a condition which would influence his art and ultimately claim his life. He studied literature at California State University, Long Beach and the University of California, Irvine. He moved to Los Angeles in 1976. He was a singer and songwriter in the post no-wave rock group Planet of Toys and worked with the improv comedy group, The Groundlings. His critically acclaimed installation piece, Visiting Hours, ran for six months at the Santa Monica Museum of Art and was featured in National Geographic. He is the subject of the award-winning Kirby Dick film, SICK. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, including The Wedding of Everything (1983, Sherwood Press), Slave Sonnets (1986, Cold Calm Press), and Fuck Journal (1992, Hanuman Books). He died in 1994 at the age of 42.