My name is Barry Mansfield. I was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 8, 1948. I consider myself to be a philosophical poet. As I grew, I became more and more aware of the many problems that exist within our society. I have been published in several journals. One that comes to mind is a Journal for Ordinary Thought 2007, where my poem "The Way I Think" was first published. Also, in Northeastern's Independent. Thrown Out of the Garden is my first book published this year. My poems are about the possibility of creating something good out of something that's not so much. And although some of my poetry is purely personal, the greater amount is my meager efforts to explain and possibly alleviate, at least for some, the problems that we all face in our lives. I have been going to school for a very long time, trying to increase my understanding of the world in which we live so that I can help create, if I'm allowed to, a possible better future for as many as I can.