Gary Jacksonwas born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. He received his M.F.A. from the University of New Mexico and has taught in Albuquerque and in Anyang, South Korea.
Yusef Komunyakka's eleven books of poems include Thieves of Paradise, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and Neon Vernacular, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize. He teaches at Princeton University and lives in New York City.