Born in the Philippines, Janine Joseph is a formerly undocumented poet, librettist, and the author of Decade of the Brain: Poems and the prize-winning Driving Without a License. Her poetry, essays, and critical writings have appeared in numerous publications, including The Nation, the Atlantic, Poetry Northwest, Orion, Poets & Writers, and the Smithsonian’s “What It Means to Be American” project, and she has created works commissioned for the Houston Grand Opera, Washington Master Chorale, and Symphony New Hampshire. A recipient of Fellowships from MacDowell, Bread Loaf, and the Paul and Daisy Soros Foundation, Joseph is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Virginia Tech. She lives in Blacksburg, VA.