BRENDA HILLMAN, a peace activist and one of Poets & Writers magazines 50 of the Most Inspiring Authors in the World, is the author of eight books of poetry; her most recent book, Practical Water (2009) is the third part of a quartet on Earth, air, water, and fire. She has received the William Carlos Williams Prize, and Fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim Foundation, and she is Olivia Filippi Professor of Poetry at St. Marys College, where she teaches in the undergraduate and MFA programs.