Biography
Poet and young-adult novelist Ron Koertge grew up in rural Olney,
Illinois, and received a BA from the University of Illinois and an MA
from the University of Arizona.
Comfortable in both free verse
and received form, Koertge writes poetry marked by irreverent yet
compassionate humor and a range of personas and voices. He has published
numerous collections of poetry, including the ghazal collection Indigo (2009), Fever (2006), and Making Love to Roget’s Wife (1997). His novels and novels-in-verse for young readers include Shakespeare Bats Cleanup (2006), The Brimstone Journals (2004), and Stoner & Spaz (2004).
Koertge’s honors include a fellowship from the National Endowment for
the Arts, a California Arts Council grant, and inclusion in numerous
anthologies such as Best American Poetry, Poetry 180, and Ted Kooser’s “American Life in Poetry” column. Koertge’s young-adult fiction has won awards from the American Library Association and PEN.
Koertge lives with his wife in South Pasadena, California, and has
taught at Pasadena City College and in the Writing for Children MFA
program at Vermont College
