Toi Derricotte is the author of four previous poetry collections: The Empress of the Death House; Natural Birth; Captivity; and Tender, winner of the Patterson Poetry Prize. She is the recipient of two Pushcart Prizes and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, among other honors. Derricotte is cofounder of Cave Canem and professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh.