Richard Lyons has taught literature and creative writing for more than two decades at Mississippi State University. Lyons is a former winner of the “Discovery” Award from The Nation and the 92nd Street YHMA in New York City and the Lavan Younger Poet’s Prize from the chancellors of the Academy of American Poets in New York City. His other collections include These Modern Nights, Hours of the Cardinal, and Fleur Carnivore. Born in Boston, he hails from the Mid-South where he lives with his wife and his cats.