Burst Afresh

The voice in the poems of "Siftings" as well as those of "Burst Afresh," Frank's second and final collection, are at times humorous, at other times scalding, at still other times full of charm-even playfully silly-but, in the end they are honest-a human being speaking to other human beings-and intimate. Born in Los Angeles, California, Larry Frank graduated from the University of California Berkeley in English literature and philosophy and traveled in Europe and India before enrolling at UCLA's cinema school. He wrote, directed, and produced educational films and a fictional feature that won an Edinburgh Film Festival award. After locating in northern New Mexico, Larry Frank studied Native American cultures and Spanish Colonial art, researching and collecting materials from both cultures for over forty years. He wrote a major book on New Mexico santos, "The New Kingdom of the Saints." He lectured on santos at Stanford University, Roswell Museum, the University of New Mexico, and Saint John's College Santa Fe in conjunction with an exhibit of his collection. Author of "Historic Pottery of the Pueblo Indians and Indian Silver Jewelry of the Southwest," Frank also co-wrote "A Land So Remote," a three volume set featuring "Religious Art of New Mexico (1780-1907)" and "Wooden Artifacts of Frontier New Mexico (1700s-1900s)." Frank is also the author of "Train Stops," a book of short stories; "Fragments of a Mask," a novel; and a collection of poems, "Siftings," all from Sunstone Press. His landmark collection of Native American and Spanish religious iconography is now part of the permanent collection of the State of New Mexico at the Palace of Governors, in Santa Fe. Married to the well-known artist, Alyce Frank, they raised three children, Ross, Melissa, and Chad. Larry Frank died peacefully at home and in his sleep while napping on August 7, 2006.