After spending most of his childhood in Japan, Ball returned to the United States, and in 1980 received a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina. In addition to his work in contemporary American literature, Ball has worked as an avant-garde filmmaker, studying with Jonas Mekas in New York City. He has also edited "Allen Verbatim: Lectures on Poetry, Politics, and Consciousness" (McGraw-Hill, 1974) and "Journals: Early Fifties, Early Sixties" (Grove Press, 1977). Ball is currently editing another volume of Ginsberg's journals. [extracted from 1982 brochure]