Kyle McCord is the author of five books of poetry including National Poetry Series Finalist Magpies in the Valley of Oleanders. His work has been featured in AGNI, Boston Review, Crazyhorse, Harvard Review, The Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, TriQuarterly and elsewhere. Kyle has received grants from the Academy of American Poets, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Baltic Writing Residency. He serves as executive editor Gold Wake Press and lives in Des Moines, Iowa where he teaches at Drake University.