David Kirby’s collection The House on Boulevard St.: New and Selected Poems was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2007. He is the author of Little Richard: The Birth of Rock 'n' Roll, which the Times Literary Supplement of London called “a hymn of praise to the emancipatory power of nonsense.” His honors include fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. His latest poetry collection is Get Up, Please.