David Rutiezer, the grandchild of Jewish immigrants, was raised in Illinois and Massachusetts, and lives in Portland, Oregon. He graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from the Rainier Writing Workshop in 2012, has and has been a presenter at the Northwest Poets’ Concord. His poems have been published in Drash, Harpur Palate, Jewish Currents and the North Coast Squid. David sings and plays keyboard and ukulele, has studied music therapy, and since 2004 has been performing in memory care communities, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, children’s programs, and for people of all walks of life. He recorded a children’s music album, The Kid in Me, in November 2014. He has taught afterschool Spanish and has performed and taught Israeli and International folk dancing for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds across the Pacific Northwest.

David is a writing and ESL tutor at Portland Community College and Washington State University Vancouver, and has volunteered for numerous community organizations, including Friends of William Stafford, Cascade Festival of African Films, and the Oregon Holocaust Memorial. He helped to found the December First Writers, a group that wrote about HIV/AIDS and gave public readings to increase awareness of AIDS and build support for AIDS organizations. He has been a featured poet at many venues, including the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education and the Lan Su Chinese Garden, and has received several writing residencies, including from the Lambda Literary Foundation. You can read more about David at his website, creativedavid.com.