Richard Jones is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

. He was born in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, received an M.A.

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

 from the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

 and an M.F.A. from Vermont College of Fine Arts

Vermont College of Fine Arts

Vermont College of Fine Arts offers four distinct graduate programs, awarding Master of Fine Arts degrees in Visual Art, Writing, Writing for Children & Young Adults and Graphic Design. The student to faculty ratio at VCFA is 4-to-1.. The faculty and alumni of VCFA have won many literary awards,...

. He is currently professor of English and director of the creative writing program at DePaul University

DePaul University

DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...

 in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. He is also co-founder (1979) and editor of the literary journal Poetry East. He is the author of seven books of poetry, most recently The Correct Spelling & Exact Meaning (Copper Canyon Press

Copper Canyon Press

Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...

, 2010). His book, The Blessing: New and Selected Poems, a selection of poems from six books, received the Midland Authors Award for Poetry for 2000. He has published two critical anthologies and Body and Soul, a compact disc on which he discusses the art of poetry. He lives north of Chicago with his wife, Laura, and their children Sarah, William and Andrew.

Poetry

• ’’Country of Air’’ (Copper Canyon Press
  Copper Canyon Press
  Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
  
  , 1986)
• ’’At Last We Enter Paradise’’ (Copper Canyon Press, 1991)
• ’’A Perfect Time’’ (Copper Canyon Press, 1994)
• ’’The Empty Heart’’ (Copper Canyon Press, 1999)
• ’’The Blessing: New and Selected Poems’’ (Copper Canyon Press, 2000)
• ’’Apropos of Nothing’’ (Copper Canyon Press, 2006)
• ’’The Correct Spelling & Exact Meaning’’ (Copper Canyon Press, 2010)

Poetry Limited Editions

• ’’Windows and Walls’’ (Adastra Press, 1982)
• ’’Innocent Things’’ (Adastra Press, 1985)
• ’’Walk On (Alderman Press, 1986)
• ’’Sonnets’’ (Adastra Press, 1990)
• ’’The Abandoned Garden’’ (Tunheim Santrizos, 1997)
• ’’48 Questions’’ (Tebot Bach Books, 1998)
• ’’The Stone Lives On’’ (Adastra Press, 2000)