Cara Dees has taught at the University of Cincinnati, Fisk University, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Arkansas. The recipient of a scholarship from the Sewanee Writers' Conference and an Academy of American Poets College Prize from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her poetry has appeared in journals such as Best New Poets, Gulf Coast, Harvard Review, Indiana Review, The Journal, Poetry Daily, and The Southeast Review. Originally from rural Wisconsin, she holds an MFA from Vanderbilt University and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Cincinnati.