Mary Mackey became a writer by running high fevers, tramping through tropical jungles, and reading. She is the author of 8 poetry collections, including Sugar Zone, winner of a PEN Award and The Jaguars That Prowl Our Dreams, winner of the Eric Hoffer Award for Best Book Published by a Small Press. Her poetry has been praised by Wendell Berry, Jane Hirshfield, D. Nurkse, Al Young, Daniel Lawless, Rafael Jesú s Gonzá lez, and Maxine Hong Kingston for its beauty, precision, originality, and extraordinary range. She is also the author of 14 novels.