Gaia Schilke is a poet and visual artist who grew up in Connecticut and lived in Manhattan for 20 years. Her poems and illustrations have been published in numerous literary magazines, journals and books, including ALOUD (Henry Holt), StoryHead (Chicago), Kick it Over (Canada), Going Down Swinging & Poetry Australia (Australia), KRAX (England) & Sivullinen(Finland). Schilke published her book of illustrated poems & stories, From the Margin (Stray Dog Press) in 1997. She was the curator of reading series at The Knitting Factory and The Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC, and co-founder & co-editor of the multicultural arts magazine, Tribes.
Of Schilke’s NYC poetry band, Backbone Flute, The Village Voice said: “Named after a Vladimir Mayakovsky poem, this ensemble of Downtown jazzsters, fronted by dangerous neofeminist poet Gail Schilke, should light a fire under the Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s boho denizens. Expect brilliantly eccentric turns of phrase and husky-voiced prosodic eroticism from Schilke, who, like Vlad, dances to a drummer from the not-too-distant future.”