Clifford Brooks was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. His poetry publications include the books The Draw of Broken Eyes & Whirling Metaphysics, Athena Departs: Gospel of a Man Apart, and the chapbook Exiles of Eden. Old Gods, his third full-length book of poetry, is available through Mercer University Press.

Clifford is founder of The Southern Collective Experience, a cooperative of writers, musicians, and visual artists, which publishes the journal of culture The Blue Mountain Review. He hosts the National Public Radio show Dante’s Old South and co-hosts the podcast This Business of Music & Poetry. He is an instructor with the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, Teachable and Noetic. His teaching includes courses on creative writing, editing, and thriving as an autistic person.