I was born in 1947 and grew up in Newport, Kentucky. I came from a working class family and my childhood was fairly uneventful. I was the first in my family to graduate high school and college. I attended Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University, and the University of Kentucky where I earned my Doctorate. In my life time I worked at McDonald's, sold restaurant supplies, I was teacher, principal, and special education director until I retired, as well as an instructor in the U.S. Army Reserves. Presently I am an adjunct professor at Northern Kentucky University. I love traveling, playing golf and fishing. I have been married for forty years, with three children and five grandchildren. I started writing poetry in high school and wrote the bulk of the poems in this volume during my college days. Although, I have published academic works in the past, this is my first literary publication