JoAnn Balingit was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in Lakeland, Florida, the third in a family of 12 children. She was educated at Florida State, University of California, Irvine and Indiana University. In 2008 she received a Doctorate of Education from the University of Delaware and was appointed Delaware's 16th poet laureate. She teaches poetry in schools and community organizations. JoAnn has also lived and worked in Kentucky; Tangier, Morocco and Lisbon, Portugal. You can visit her website at http://joannbalingit.org

Words for House Story (WordTech Editions, 2013)

Forage (Wings Press, 2011), Your Heart and How It Works (Spire Press, 2009)

On the Mason-Dixon Line: An Anthology of Contemporary Delaware Writers (University of Delaware Press, 2008), Best New Poets 2007 (Samovar Press, 2007), DIAGRAM.2 (Del Sol Press, 2006), Returning a Borrowed Tongue (Coffee House Press, 1996)

Diagram, Gargoyle, Harpur Palate, Kweli Journal, Lantern Review, Little Patuxent Review, MiPOesias, Poets/Artists, Rolling Stone, Salt Hill Journal, Smartish Pace, Vinyl Poetry