Author: Tacettin Fidan
Alternate names: Dean Fidan
Born: 1959
Bio: I was born on February 1, 1959 and was nicknamed "Dean" by my parents, who had migrated from the Balkans and resettled near Istanbul, soon after WWII--my father was an Army General [Highland Volunteers] for the King [Zog I] of Albania during the war.  I grew up in a small but scenic Turkish village, which was then called Soganlik (Oniony) near the town of Kartal, until I was thirteen years old. Subsequently, I moved to America and made USA my new home since about the fall of 1972. In the New World, I worked as a professional chef and restaurateur most of my life, finishing college in Chicago with a Liberal Arts and Sciences degree at De Paul University in 1980, and then I continued on with my own independent graduate work thereafter.
 
I became a proud American citizen in 1981!
 
I have been a lifetime supporter of various humanitarian issues around the world, e.g. American-Albanian Volunteer Organizations, here in the U.S.A.
 
In 2005, I published "Thoughts In Poetry." 
 
In 2006, I published "Defining Moments of Poetry."
 
  I now reside in SUNNY FLORIDA!

  My views on poetry: 

I see poetry as a vehicle, a kind of spaceship. Yes, a poem needs to have a structure and a method, not unlike a vehicle, for its shape, size, and color are important, but more important are its spirit and/or its performance and delivery. When I write a poem or read someone else’s, I can’t help wondering about its quality, e.g., Is this poem Soulful? Is it Doleful? Is it Joyful? All of the above? Finally, I ask, has this poem drawn an accurate picture of reality as far as we are aware of its existence to its [and its author’s] own-most ability? Of course, the poet as a person is very significant, since without the poet, there would be no poem, but he or she is part of the admixture of a great work. E.g., Homer, Shakespeare, Poe, Frost and many other great poets are long gone, but their life work still lives on.

"Poetry is not my vocation, but rather my evocation; its an inner need that I discovered to be very fulfilling." 

You may find my works at these web sites:

http://tacettindeanfidan.spaces.live.com/

http://www.authspot.com/Poetry/Around-Love.626485