Derek JG Williams is an American poet, essayist, teacher, and editor. He is the author of Poetry Is a Disease (Greying Ghost, 2022). Derek holds a doctorate in English and Creative Writing from Ohio University, and an MFA from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where he won the Brian Rattigan and Mary Doyle Curran Creative Scholarships. He is a Blacksmith House Emerging Writer. His poem, "These Kingdoms of Ours" was a finalist for RHINO Magazine's Editors Prize. Brenda Shaughnessy selected his poem “Ode to the Tongue” for inclusion in the Best New Poets anthology. His writing has appeared on Boston's MBTA trains as a part of the city's Poetry on the T program.
Derek teaches writing courses online while developing curricula for different organizations. He also works with individual clients via manuscript consultations and coaching to help them establish and realize creative goals, and he is an accomplished academic language editor and technical writer who has worked with scholars and researchers at numerous institutions and universities. He lives in Germany with his wife and dog.
In his wildly relatable chapbook, Williams carjacks the reader and fearlessly drives them through the backroads of every poet's [and writer's] psyche. Poetry Is A Disease is a treatise on that ageless chasm that exists in every poet's mind: what do we want to say and how do we want our words to be remembered? If poetry is indeed a disease, this book is the reassuring, soothing salve.
A limited edition release from Greying Ghost Press. 8x6 staple-bound chapbook printed on high quality copier paper with 100lb French cardstock covers using archival ink.
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