Growing up in a small town in North Dakota, Debra Marquart always knew she wanted to travel the country. She eventually went to college, but dropped out to pursue a career in music. Several years, and several bands later, Marquart was having success touring, when a fire destroyed all of her bands' gear. So she went back to college, and rediscovered a love for poetry. Her writing led to her publishing 6 books, won her awards, and a fellowship at Iowa State, where she is now a Distiguished Professor of Liberal Arts & Sciences. And recently, Debra Marquart was named the poet laureate for the state of Iowa.
