Debra Marquart

Debra Marquart is a Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University and Iowa’s Poet Laureate. She holds dual affiliations, also teaching in the Stonecoast Low-Residency MFA Program at the University of Southern Maine. Her roles include Senior Editor of Flyway: Journal of Writing & Environment and leader of the jazz-poetry project The Bone People.

Education: MA (Creative Writing) and MLA from Iowa State University and Moorhead State University, respectively.

Research focuses on environmental writing, memoir, and interdisciplinary creative arts, blending music with literary forms. Her works explore themes of place, identity, and exile. Over 50 grants and awards highlight her contributions, including prestigious recognitions like the NEA Fellowship and Elle Lettres Award.

Advising and grants: Active mentor in MFA programs, with extensive grant funding supporting her creative and scholarly work. Future projects include two 2021 releases: The Night We Landed on the Moon: Essays on Exile & Belonging and Gratitude with Dogs Under Stars: New & Collected Poems.

Labs/teams: Directs Flyway journal and collaborates with The Bone People, a performance ensemble blending poetry and jazz.