David Chura

 As a gay man I know what it's like to live as an "outsider." As a result I have worked with "at risk" teenagers and young adults for over 26 years, teaching literature and writing in places as varied as alternative communtiy schools, psych units, and prison. My poetry and creative nonfiction often comes from those many years working with people on the margins of society. I am most interested in character, using language that is lively,  evocative, and at times, provocative to bring to life the people I've encountered.  I am the author of  "I Don't Wish Nobody to Have a Life Like Mine: Tales of Kids in Adult Lockup" (Beacon Press 2010) and "Tighfisted Heart: A Son's Search for Identity and Reconciliation" (Off the Common Books 2017). My work has appeared in the New York Times, Mother Jones, Huffington Post as well as many literary journals.