Author of numerous books since 1971, including Xing, N/O, Demo to Ink, and Manifest, poet Ron Silliman's writing merges the formal acrobatics of language poetry with a personal, nearly autobiographical voice that brings his words refreshingly and often startlingly close to everyday experience. The encyclopedic scope of Mr. Silliman's enterprise is reflected in his extended project; The Alphabet, a proposed 1,200-page work which, in the poet's words, "seeks to include as much of the world as possible, especially those aspects that are least likely to be seen, heard, or recognized." The Alphabet has been the focus of Mr. Silliman's energies for the last 17 years. Mr. Silliman studied at University of California, Berkeley, Merrit College, and San Francisco State University between 1966 and 1971 and has been awarded fellowships by the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council.