Born in Flint, Michigan. Attended the University of Michigan, Northeastern Illinois University, and Murray State University's low-residency MFA program. Author of full-length collections Frequently Asked Questions (Salmon Poetry, forthcoming), Activities of Daily Living (Salmon Poetry, 2017) and Brief Nudity (Salmon Poetry, 2013). Chapbooks include I Am Spam (Third Man Books, 2024), Muse, Um (Finishing Line Press, 2022), Basic Cable Couplets (Silkworms Ink, 2012), About the Author (Mindmade Books, 2011), and Abbrev (Beard of Bees, 2011). Selected magazine publications include Berkeley Poetry Review, Passages North, Big Bridge, OCHO, and Artichoke Haircut. Also a critically-acclaimed songwriter, Dean has numerous CD releases to his credit, including Good Grief (2015), Product Placement (2019) with The Injured Parties, and Fables in Slang (2001) with Post Office.