JoAnn Balingit
JoAnn Balingit was born in Columbus, Ohio, and grew up in Lakeland, Florida. She studied at Florida State University, the University of California–Irvine, Indiana University, and the University of Delaware. She is the author of Words for House Story (WordTech Communications, 2013). From 2008 to 2015, Balingit served as the poet laureate of Delaware. She currently serves as an assistant editor for YesYes Books and works with the Delaware Division of the Arts to coordinate the region’s Scholastic Writing Awards and Poetry Out Loud programs. She lives in Newark, Delaware.