W. D. Snodgrass (1926-2009) was born in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. His college education was interrupted by a stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II but he later completed an MFA at the State University of Iowa. Mr. Snodgrass taught English and creative writing at various universities, among them Wayne State, University of Delaware, University of Rochester, and Syracuse University. Snodgrass’s first book of poems, 'Heart's Needle,' won the Pulitzer Prize in 1960, and he earned numerous awards and honors for his poetry, translations, and criticism. He also received fellowships from the Guggenheim and Ingram Merrill foundations, The Academy of American Poets, and The National Endowment for the Arts.