Carol Muske-Dukes is an award-winning author of nine books of poems, four novels, two collections of essays, co-editor of two anthologies, and professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Southern California. Her most recent book of poems, Blue Rose from Penguin, was a long list finalist for the Pulitzer Prize (2018–2019). She also founded USC’s PhD program in Literature and Creative Writing and is a former poet laureate of California.