Jon Volkmer grew up in Nebraska, and after a long detour earned a PhD in Literature from the University of Nebraska. After one fateful reading of Jack Kerouac at too young an age, he stuck out his thumb and crisscrossed, America, eventually notching more than 10,000 miles on the road. He also drove taxi cabs and tour buses, and worked in hotel marketing. Along the way, he somehow managed a BA at the University of Colorado, and an MA in creative writing from Denver University.

Jon’s books include a collection of poems about grain elevators, a meta-fictional travel memoir, and a young adult biography of Roberto Clemente. His stories, essays and poems have appeared in dozens of literary magazines. He directs the creative writing program and is advisor to the student literary publication, The Lantern.

His favorite authors are James Joyce, Italo Calvino and A.E. Housman.