Born in 1934 in Idaho, Rutsala received his B.A. from Reed College and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa. Nine books and four chapbooks of his poetry have been published, and over 700 poems have appeared in journals and anthologies. He's won numerous prizes including the Carolyn Kizer Poetry Prize, the Oregon Book Award, a Pushcart Prize, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Oregon Masters, and the National Endowment for the Arts. He teaches at Lewis and Clark College.
