Oregon Book Award Poetry Finalists reading

Anna Elkins earned a BA in art and English, an MFA in poetry, and a Fulbright Fellowship to write art-inspired poetry. She has written, painted, and taught on six continents—exhibiting many paintings and publishing several books along the way.

Eman Hassan's first poetry collection, Raghead, was the recipient of a Folsom Award and was selected as the Editor's Choice in the New Issues Poetry and Prose 2018 Poetry Prize. A bicultural poet from Massachusetts and Kuwait, Eman earned a PhD in poetry from the University of Nebraska and an MFA in poetry from Arizona State University. She currently lives in Happy Valley, Oregon.

Ed Skoog is the author of four books of poems, Travelers Leaving for the City, Run the Red Lights, Rough Day, and Mister Skylight, all published by Copper Canyon Press. He lives in Portland.

Floyd Skloot is a poet, novelist, and creative nonfiction writer whose work has won three Pushcart Prizes, the PEN USA Literary Award, two Oregon Book Awards and two PNBA Book Awards. In 2010 Poets & Writers named him "One of 50 of the Most Inspiring Authors in the World."

Joe Wilkins is the author of a novel, Fall Back Down When I Die, and a memoir, The Mountain and the Fathers. He has published four poetry collections, including Thieve and When We Were Birds, winner of the 2017 Oregon Book Award in Poetry. He lives with his family in McMinnville.