Poet Oliver de la Paz was born in the Philippines and raised in Ontario, Oregon. He earned a BA in English and a BS in biology from Loyola Marymount University and an MFA from Arizona State University. He is co-chair of the advisory board of Kundiman, an organization devoted to promoting Asian American writers and writing, and serves on the board for the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. He teaches at Holy Cross and in the Rainer Writing Workshops.