Brian Lampkin, a native of Western New York, is a poet, performer, and prankster. He was the original owner of Rust Belt Books, a used bookstore on the West Side of Buffalo. In the 1990s and early 2000s, when the store moved into its second location on Allen Street in Buffalo's Allentown neighborhood, Lampkin used its small back room as a venue for countless performances, poetry readings, and community meetings, among other events.
In a series of public pranks during the same era, Lampkin united diverse groups of artists and activists to satirize current events in Buffalo: the clash of national chains and local businesses, the longstanding promise/threat of a casino moving into town, and the atmosphere of post-9/11 paranoia were all typical targets.
Lampkin is now based in Greensboro, North Carolina, where in 2014 he will open Scuppernong Books.
For more information on his work, visit http://www.connotationpress.com/a-poetry-congeries-with-john-hoppenthaler/2009/december-2009/240-brian-lampkin-poetry. (Accessed 08/13/2013)
To hear an interview with Lampkin and an example of his poetry, visit http://news.wbfo.org/post/urban-epiphany-brian-lampkin.