# Chris Stroffolino

chris stroffolino (born 20 March 1963 in Reading, Pennsylvania) is an American poet, writer, musician, critic, performer, author of 12 books of poetry and prose, and worked alongside Steve Malkmus and David Berman on The Silver Jews' American Water (1998 Drag City). Stroffolino attended Albright College, Temple University and Bard College, The University of Massachusetts Amherst, before receiving a PhD at Suny-Albany with a dissertation on William Shakespeare in 1998. == Poetry == === Early performance poetry === After moving to Philadelphia in 1986, Stroffolino auditioned for Lamont Steptoe of the Painted Bride Art Center, and became a part of Philadelphia's spoken word scene, alongside writers such as C.A. Conrad, Linh Dinh, Candace Kaucher and Jerome Robinson.