James R. Whitley’s work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and has appeared or is forthcoming in several literary publications, including Barrelhouse, Can We Have Our Ball Back?, elimae, FRiGG, Mississippi Review, Pebble Lake Review, Poetry Southeast, the strange fruit, and Texas Poetry Journal. Whitley’s first book Immersion (Lotus Press, 2002) was selected by Lucille Clifton as the winner of the Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award.