John Wall Barger (1969-) was born in New York City and grew up Nova Scotia, Canada. His poems and critical writing have appeared in American Poetry Review, The Kenyon Review Online, Zyzzyva, The Cincinnati Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, Poetry Ireland Review, and Best of the Best Canadian Poetry. His sixth collection, Smog Mother (Palimpsest Press), came out in Fall 2022. He is a contract editor for Frontenac Press, and teaches creative writing at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.