Headshot of poet Eugene Gloria

Poet Eugene Gloria was born in Manila, Philippines, and raised in San Francisco, where he later earned a BA from San Francisco State University. He continued his education at Miami University of Ohio and the University of Oregon, where he earned an MA and MFA. In 1999, his first collection of poetry, Drivers at the Short-Time Motel, was selected for the National Poetry Series and later won the 2001 Asian American Literary Award. His other collections of poetry include Sightseer in This Killing City (Penguin, 2019); Hoodlum Birds (Penguin, 2006); and My Favorite Warlord (Penguin, 2012), which won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.

Gloria’s work explores the parameters of his dual cultural history as an Asian American and does not refrain from confronting some of the less-desirable social realities that accompany his cultural identity. His poetry has been featured in such journals as the Asian American Literary Review and the New Republic. Gloria is the recipient of numerous other grants and prizes, including a Fulbright Research Grant, a Poetry Society of America Award, and a Pushcart Prize. He currently lives in Greencastle, Indiana, where he teaches creative writing and English literature at DePauw University.