Brian Kenneth Swain is author of the novels World Hunger, Alone in the Light, and Sistina. He also writes short stories and poetry, and has been a featured poet at the Poetry Society of Texas, Houston Poetry Fest (three-time juried poet), Austin International Poetry Festival (juried poet), InPrint, Barnes & Noble, and Borders, as well as on Pacifica and NPR radio. He is author of the poetry collections Secret Places, My America, and Chicken Feet, the essay collection The Curious Habits of Man, and the short story collection The Book of Names. His work has appeared in Di-Verse-ity, Ampersand, Bayou Review, Edgar Literary Magazine, Free Press Houston, Mutabilis Press, Pebble Lake Review, Spikey Palm, and The Texas Poetry Calendar. He is a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee. Brian is an engineer and businessperson whose professional career spans twenty-three years, including having worked for Bell Laboratories and McKinsey & Company. He holds an MSEE from Columbia University and an MBA from The Wharton School. He grew up in Brunswick, Maine.