Origins of The Burnt Possum Poets

The Burnt Possum Poets organized in 2001 as a foursome: Karl Shank, Jeremy Frey, Chad Gusler, and Dan Easley. They met around a fire, sharing work, whim, and whiskey. One night they saw a fox killed on the road, and thought they'd give it a proper ceremonial send-off, casting it on the fire. They took a shovel to the road, but the fox was gone. In its place lie a possum. So they burned the possum. Once the hair had singed off, it started smelling fairly good. Preferring to err on the side of caution, they went to an all-night restaurant.

Karl Shank has since left the group. Jeremy Frey is currently in Tucson at the University of Arizona finishing an MFA degree in poetry and creative nonfiction. Chad's commuting to Santa Fe through Seattle Pacific University pursuing an MFA in fiction. Dan is keeping busy running Towndowner Records and Studio.

burntpossum.com is the official repository and communications center for the greater Burnt Possum organizations' public and on-line activities. It is managed by Dan Easley and Ralph J. Murray.