Carl Hancock Rux is an American poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, actor, director, singer-songwriter. He was born in New York and guardianship was assigned to his maternal grandmother. When she died, four year old Carl entered the foster care system until guardianship was again transferred to relatives. Carl Hancock Rux is the author of several books including the Village Voice Literary Prize-winning "Pagan Operetta," the novel, Asphalt, and the Obie Award-winning play, Talk. Rux is also a singer/songwriter with four CDs to his credit, as well as a frequent collaborator in the fields of dance, theater, film, and contemporary art. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Doris Duke Award for New Works.