The Blessing

Poet, critic, and editor Richard Jones has published eleven books of poetry and his poems have been featured on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” and “The Writer’s Almanac,” as well as programs on the BBC. He has edited the anthologies Poetry and Politics and Of Solitude and Silence: Writings on Robert Bly, and his poetry was selected by Billy Collins to appear in the anthology Poetry 180. Jones has received the Coordinating Council of Literary Magazines’ Editors Award for his work editing the literary journal Poetry East, which he founded in 1980. He has also worked for two decades with high school teachers, librarians, and community groups to develop reading skills and a wider audience for the art. Since 1987, Jones has been teaching at DePaul University, where he currently directs the creative writing program. He lives in Chicago with his wife and three children.