Poet, author. Called the "Romantic Poet of the Internet" by Yahoo, 1996.

Born in Greenville, South Carolina, USA, August 16, 1955. Graduated Morgantown High School, Morgantown, West Virginia, 1973. Briefly attended West Virginia University.

Having begun his writing at age eight, to strong approval, it was only a matter of time before the poet launched himself into neo-romanticism (or, some insist, neo-metaphysics, his themes and content often bridge or merge multiple schools). His early works were full of yearning and passion, including "the unicorns", "tread softly" and "Monument". His "voice" includes polysyllabic words, heavy religious and mythological allusions and a tendency towards lines so long they wrap most published pages. He is a single draft poet, known for taking the position that editing destroys the "purity" of the work.

It was during this same time he wrote a weekly humour column for America Online's Writers Club, helped establish the Poets Place on AOL, became their first chat host (his "Romantic and Erotic Poetry Group" became a showcase for the best and brightest of the digital renaissance poets online.) The digital renaissance movement among poets became a rebellion against the tight editorial control exercised by magazines editors and academia, with thousands upon thousands of poets, mostly young, posting to websites or even creating their own online chapbooks to allow their audience to find them, rather than deal with the "filtration" of ideas and forms, which he felt was stifling the development of the literary art form.

In the fall of 2002, he was one of a handful of writers (and one of the first American poets) selected to take part in the Edinburgh International Internet Festival of the Arts in Scotland.

The foreword of his fourth book, "Love Gods of a Forgotten Religion", was written by Larry Jaffe, the International Readings Coordinator for the United Nations' Dialogue Among Civilizations Through Poetry.

In 2004 he was named to the Appalachian Education Initiative's list of 50 Outstanding Creative Artists from West Virginia. That same year, in the aftermath of his second divorce and concerns about the health of his aging father, he returned to the Mountain State, where he since announced new book projects.

He is referred to as "the amomancer". He is known to have written under several pseudonyms, and is sometimes credited with being the coiner of the phrase "digital renaissance", although he does not claim this distinction.

Quotes about him:

"William F. DeVault's poetry embodies the essence of romance..." - Brandy Walton, senior poetry editor, "EWG Presents"

"Sensuous and intoxicating...William DeVault's poetry burns with romance, mystique, and passion." - Robin C. Travis-Murphee, editor, "Poetic Voices"

"A master...the future of the Digital Renaissance." "Poetry Now!" (UK)

"William DeVault is one of a new generation of poets, raised on the Internet. What he has done is not only wonderful on its own, but the cock's crow of the future in literature." - Richard Russell, editor, "The Blue Review"

"The most extraordinary extemporaneous poet I have ever encountered and the most prolific of all contemporary poets...He leads the cyberspace coffeehouses with the virtual reality of his verse..." - Bruce C. Autry, editor in chief, "Poetry Heaven"

"One thing that rises above the uncertainty of life and that is his poetry. I have seen him literally take words apart, turn them inside out, transforming subtle shades of meaning into raw colors of emotion." - Larry Jaffe, poet/author

"William F. DeVault, known as the "amomancer" is a living legend who will live beyond time, as his words are forever captured by his prolific pen. - Lupi Basil, CEO/Editor, Wings of Dawn Publishing, 'Emotions' Magazine

Books

PanthEon (1997).

from out of the city (1997).

from an unexpected quarter (1999).

Love Gods of a Forgotten Religion (2001).

101 Great Love Poems (2002)

INVOCATO (2005).

The Morgantown Suite (2005).

The Compleat Panther Cycles (2005).

See also

American literature

External Links/References

• William F. DeVault and the City of Legends