Joseph Bathanti, born and raised in Pittsburgh, is a professor of creative writing at Appalachian State University, as well as the poet laureate of North Carolina. He is the author of eight books of poetry and two novels, among other works. His most recent novel, Coventry, won the 2006 Novello Literary Award, and his 2014 collection of personal essays, Half of What I Say Is Meaningless, earned the 2012 Will D. Campbell Award for Creative Nonfiction.