David M. Parsons, 2011 Texas Poet Laureate, grew up in Austin, and after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve as a Squad Leader and a Recon-Scout Boat Team Leader, he attended The University of Texas and Texas State University, where he holds a BBA. After several years in business, advertising, and coaching baseball and basketball at Bellaire High School, he received an MA in Creative Writing & Literature from the University of Houston. Parsons has taught Creative Writing at Lone Star College Montgomery since 1992. He has published seven books of poetry. He was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in 2009 and lives in Conroe, Texas, with his wife, Nancy Dazey Parsons, an award-winning fine artist, and graphic designer. They have four grown children. www.daveparsonspoetry.com