Ben Greer spent the first part of his life publishing novels. He published his first poem when he was fifty, and his first collection of poetry at fifty-nine. When asked about his new and selected collection, The Naked Prince , Greer says, "My childhood was a maelstrom of abuse, horror, and neglect. My sister and I were fortunate to survive it, though, like most children raised in abusive homes, we carry permanent damage. Many of these poems are about trying to live. Other poems concern the plight of the world, angels, disease, and musings about the nature of being itself. Occasionally I experienced something wholesome and good: a late family, wife, and child; life-saving years spent with George and Susan Garrett. This collection endeavors to capture it all."