Gene Twaronite is the author of thirteen books, including six poetry collections and seven works of fiction and nonfiction. His first poetry book, Trash Picker on Mars (Kelsay Books), won the 2017 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for poetry. He is a former Writer-in-Residence for Pima County Public Library.
A native New Englander, Gene now lives in Tucson, a desert city where, in the words of Wallace Stevens, he found himself “more truly and more strange.” Whether writing about lizards, cacti, trees, or toads—imaginary or otherwise—his relation to the natural world has always been a central part of his writing. He has a B.S. in Natural Resources and a M.A. in Education and taught junior high science in private and public schools.
Together with his wife, Jo Kelleher, he established New Hampshire Audubon’s Scotland Brook Wildlife Sanctuary in northern NH, where he sometimes woke up to see a moose munching on his garden. He’s a retired Horticultural Specialist for Arizona State University and a Senior Instructional Specialist for the University of Arizona, where he taught how to create safer, fire-resilient landscapes in this warming new world of increasing wildfires.
Follow more of Gene’s writing at his website:
genetwaronitepoet.com
Paperback: 98 pages
Publisher: Kelsay Books (May 8, 2026)