Sean Thomas Dougherty has worked in a newspaper plant, as a security guard, a poet in the schools, a preacher to parolees, and as an untenured college lecturer.  He’s also worked in a pool hall, as a caregiver and medical technician for people recovering from traumatic brain injuries, and as a performer.  He is the author or editor of 15 books including The Second O of Sorrow and All You Ask for is Longing:  Poems 1994-2014 both published by BOA Editions. His awards include a Fulbright lectureship to the Balkans and an appearance in Best American Poetry.  He lives in Erie, Pennsylvania with the poet Lisa Akus and their two daughters.