BJ Ward is the author of four books of poetry, most recently Jackleg Opera: Collected Poems 1990-2013 (North Atlantic Books), which received the Paterson Award for Literary Excellence. His poems have appeared in Poetry, American Poetry Review, TriQuarterly, The New York Times, and The Sun, among others, and have been featured on NPR’s “The Writer’s Almanac,” NJTV’s “State of the Arts,” and the website Poetry Daily. He is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize and two Distinguished Artist Fellowships from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. 2018 appearances included The Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, University of Delaware, Rutgers (New Brunswick) Writers’ Conference, Monmouth University’s Bruce Springsteen Symposium, Lewes Writers’ Conference, the Princeton Public Library, and The Stanhope House. In a piece entitled “10 Dynamic Jersey Artists Not Named Springsteen,” The Star-Ledger cited Ward as “making a difference,” noting his poetry’s “music and physicality.”