American poet, author, and academic known for The Parable of Fire, Ten Thousand Good Mornings, and other works. He also served as a literary critic for a Cleveland-based publication called The Plain Dealer.
He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in English from the University of Chicago.
He was the recipient of four Zeitfunk Awards for his work as a literary critic.
His first wife was Barbara Klevs Miller; later, he wed cookbook author Mary Jo McMillin.
During his tenure at Miami University in Ohio, he taught poet Rita Dove.