"A" is for Allen, Gilbert Bruce [b. 1951]. Poet, fiction writer, educator. A native New Yorker, Allen moved to South Carolina in 1977—becoming an English professor at Furman. His first collection of poetry, In Everything: poems, 1927-1979 appeared in 1982 and was followed by three other volumes. In 1991, with fellow Furman English professor William E. Rogers, Allen became co-founder and co-editor of Ninety-Six Press. Focusing primarily on the works of South Carolina poets, the press has produced more than a dozen books. His poetry combines contemporary philosophical concerns with a format aligned with earlier poetic styles. As Gilbert Bruce Allen puts it, he "tries to document the experience of living in America during the latter half of the 20th century" combined with "the impulse to believe and the inclination to be skeptical."