Aaron Alford earned a Ph.D. in English and creative writing (nonfiction) at Texas Tech University, where he taught courses in literature, creative writing, and first-year writing. He has served on the mastheads of literary magazines since 2007, most recently as Managing Editor of Southern Humanities Review at Auburn University. His writing has appeared in Oxford American, Memoir, Hobart Online, Bellingham Review, River Teeth, The Los Angeles Review, and elsewhere.