Ron Houchin was born in San Diego, California and raised from three years old in Huntington, West Virginia, where his family of coal miners, factory workers, and farmers have always lived. For thirty years he taught composition and literature in a secondary school in southernmost Ohio. He has nine published books, one of short stories and eight of poetry. In addition to Paterson Prize and Pushcart nominations, his work has received an Appalachian award for Book-of-the-Year in poetry and the 2013 Weatherford Award for poetry. His poems have appeared in a wide variety of journals on both sides of the Atlantic, including The Stinging Fly, the Southwest Review, Poetry Northwest, Poetry Ireland Review, The Galway Review, the Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review, Devilfish Review, Acorn, Sow's Ear, Five Points, STILL: The Journal, and others. He lives on the Ohio River, across from Huntington, WV, in a haunted house near a former hideout of the Underground Railroad. His first book, Death and the River, was published by Salmon in 1997.

Other poems by Ron Houchin in Verse Daily:
October 12, 2013:   "Every Day of the Dead" "An old church house abandoned long enough..."
April 11, 2010:   "Reckless sleeper" "Letting go of the world..."
August 11, 2005:   "Small Parts "When we were young and finding each other..."
April 3, 2005:  "The Night Café" ""Sad, sleeping hoodlums in an empty room..."
May 9, 2003:  "The light from childhood" "shows growing up to be a lake..."
March 21, 2003:  "Motel Night" "The towel that can be stolen..."

Books by Ron Houchin:

Other poems on the web by Ron Houchin:
Two poems
"Winter cast" + 3 audio only poems
"Last Night Five Young Owls"
Six poems
Three poems

Ron Houchin on Twitter.

Ron Houchin on Facebook.