Mark Cox

Mark Cox (born 1956 in East St. Louis, Illinois) is an American poet known for his collections exploring everyday life, family, love, and mortality with a blend of tenderness, humor, and unflinching honesty. He has published seven volumes of poetry, including Smoulder (1989), Natural Causes (2004), Sorrow Bread (2017), and Knowing (2024), and recently retired after 39 years teaching creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Vermont College of Fine Arts. His honors include the Whiting Writers' Award, Pushcart Prize, Oklahoma Book Award, and Society of Midland Authors Poetry Prize.