William Doreski was born in Connecticut, attended various colleges, and received a Ph.D. from Boston University. He has published several collections of poetry, three critical studiesThe Years of Our Friendship: Robert Lowell and Allen Tate (University Press of Mississippi, 1990), The Modern Voice in American Poetry (University Press of Florida, 1995), and Robert Lowells Shifting Colors (Ohio University Press, 1999)--and a textbook entitled How to Read and Interpret Poetry (Prentice-Hall).

His critical essays, poetry, fiction, and reviews have appeared in many academic and literary journals, including Massachusetts Review, Notre Dame Review, River Styx, The Alembic, New England Quarterly, Yale Review, Harvard Review, Worcester Review, Modern Philology, Antioch Review, and Natural Bridge. He has taught at many colleges and universities, most recently Keene State College in New Hampshire. His poetry and fiction have won several awards, including the 2010 Aesthetica prize.