Ed Ryterband was born in 1941 and raised in Queens, New York. His parents immigrated from Russia and Poland. He attended City University in New York, graduating in 1961, then went on to Purdue University where he got a PhD. with a focus on the psychology of leadership. His first job was as a teacher and management psychologist in Athens, Greece. After he returned to the States, he continued to consult as a management psychologist to various organizations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Mexico. In mid-life, he left his consulting career to become a stand-up comic, which he continued to do for three years until he was asked to be a regular at The Comic Strip in New York. That was an offer he felt that he could not afford to risk since he was married and just had a first son. It was then he returned to consulting and started to write poetry. His wife, Madelyne, and he have been married for 38 years. They now have two sons, Jason and Michael, both grown and on their own. For the past thirty-two years, they have lived at the New Jersey shore.
His poetry has been published in Paterson Literary Review, Two River Times, and U.S. 1 Worksheets. He has performed his stand-up and poetry readings at The Comic Strip, Mostly Magic, and The Piano Bar, among other venues in New York and New Jersey. His prior book of poems, Life on Cloud Eight, was published by Kelsay Books in 2018.
Paperback: 84 pages
Publisher: Kelsay Books (February 4, 2020)