Lydia Tomkiw
Encyclopedia
Lydia Tomkiw was an American
poet
singer and songwriter, best known for her work with the New Wave music
al group Algebra Suicide, along with her husband Don Hedeker.
to immigrants from what is now Ukraine
but was then a part of the Soviet Union
. Her father Teodor worked at the local US Steel mill, while her mother Zenovia worked at the women's wear department at a local department store. The family lived near Humboldt Park
, at the time a largely Polish
neighborhood, but which became mostly Puerto Rican
by the time Lydia was in her teens.
She graduated from Lane Tech high school in 1977 and attended the University of Illinois Chicago campus and later Columbia College
, where she received a Master's Degree in Disciplinary Arts. She met Hedeker at a gig in 1980 with his band the Trouble Boys. They soon started dating and started Algebra Suicide in 1983.
in the East Village
. There she developed a solo record, Incorporated, which tapped a number of avante garde artists like the Legendary Pink Dots for production and performance help. She also continued to perform her poetry at various readings around the city. Though she continued to write poetry and some fiction (reportedly including a novel called Ugly Kids), she had to take other jobs, including temp work, to make a living. She spent her last years in Phoenix, Arizona
near her family. She died in September 2007 of unspecified causes.
The Secret Like Crazy 1988
Real Numbers 1989
Alpha Cue 1990
Swoon 1991
Tongue Wrestling 1995
The Best American Poetry 1988
New American Writing
1988
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
singer and songwriter, best known for her work with the New Wave music
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
al group Algebra Suicide, along with her husband Don Hedeker.
Early life
Lydia was born in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to immigrants from what is now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
but was then a part of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Her father Teodor worked at the local US Steel mill, while her mother Zenovia worked at the women's wear department at a local department store. The family lived near Humboldt Park
Humboldt Park, Chicago
Humboldt Park is one of 77 officially designated community areas located on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois. The Humboldt Park neighborhood is widely known for its large Puerto Rican presence...
, at the time a largely Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
neighborhood, but which became mostly Puerto Rican
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
by the time Lydia was in her teens.
She graduated from Lane Tech high school in 1977 and attended the University of Illinois Chicago campus and later Columbia College
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia College Chicago is one of the largest art colleges in the United States with nearly 12,000 students pursuing degrees within 120 undergraduate and graduate programs...
, where she received a Master's Degree in Disciplinary Arts. She met Hedeker at a gig in 1980 with his band the Trouble Boys. They soon started dating and started Algebra Suicide in 1983.
Algebra Suicide
The band was popular in the Chicago area, and had a strong, if small, following elsewhere, especially Europe, where they toured in 1990. But while they enjoyed much critical success, financial success was lacking. Lydia purchased a club, the Club Lower Links, in 1991 with several partners, but within two years she was forced to sell her share. She and Hedeker divorced in 1993, and while they remained together professionally a bit longer, the end was clearly in sight. Algebra Suicide broke up for good in 1995.Later years and death
After the divorce, Lydia moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
. There she developed a solo record, Incorporated, which tapped a number of avante garde artists like the Legendary Pink Dots for production and performance help. She also continued to perform her poetry at various readings around the city. Though she continued to write poetry and some fiction (reportedly including a novel called Ugly Kids), she had to take other jobs, including temp work, to make a living. She spent her last years in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
near her family. She died in September 2007 of unspecified causes.
As Algebra Suicide
Big Skin 1986The Secret Like Crazy 1988
Real Numbers 1989
Alpha Cue 1990
Swoon 1991
Tongue Wrestling 1995
Published work (incomplete)
Popgun Sonatas 1980The Best American Poetry 1988
The Best American Poetry 1988
The Best American Poetry 1988, the first volume in The Best American Poetry series, was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor John Ashbery, who chose one of his own poems among the group of 75.-Lehman's forward:...
New American Writing
New American Writing
New American Writing is a once-a-year American literary magazine emphasizing contemporary American poetry, including a range of innovative contemporary writing. The magazine is published in association with San Francisco State University. New American Writing is published by OINK! Press, a...
1988