Ross Gay was born in Youngstown, Ohio, and grew up outside of Philadelphia. His poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Harvard Review, and Atlanta Review, among other journals. Ross is a Cave Canem fellow and has been a Breadloaf Tuition Scholar. In addition to holding a Ph.D in American Literature from Temple University, he is a basketball coach, an occasional demolition man, a painter, and a faculty member at Indiana University and in the low-residency program at New England College.

On this edition of The Poets Weave, Ross reads "A poem in which I try to express my glee at the music my friend has given to me," "The Voice" (dedicated to Gerald Stern), and -- from his new manuscript Bringing the Shovel Down -- "Ode to the Tongue Orchid."