Ruth Dickey has spent 30 years working at the intersection of community building, writing, and art, and is currently the Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. The recipient of a Mayor’s Arts Award from Washington DC, and a grant from the DC Commission and Arts and Humanities, Ruth is an ardent fan of dogs and coffee, and lives in Brooklyn. Her first book, Mud blooms, was a finalist for the National Poetry Series and selected for the MURA Award from Harbor Mountain Press (2019) and awarded at 2019 Silver Nautilus for Books that Make a Better World. Her second book, our hollowness sings, was published by Unicorn Press in May 2024. Her poems have recently appeared in Cave Wall, Good River Review, Kestrel, Painted Bride Quarterly, Rhino, SWIMM, StorySouth, Vice Versa, and Zocalo Public Square. More at www.ruthdickey.com