Heather Derr-Smith is the author of five books, Each End of the World (Main Street Rag Press, 2005), The Bride Minaret (University of Akron Press, 2008), Tongue Screw (Spark Wheel Press, 2016), Thrust (Lexi Rudnitsky Editor's Award, Persea Books, 2017), and Outskirts (University of Akron Press, 2022). They are founder and director of Cuvaj se/Take Care, a nonprofit supporting writers in conflict zones and post-conflict recovery areas.