(Photo by Patrick Rutherford)

David Holper has done a little bit of everything: taxi driver, fisherman, dishwasher, bus driver, soldier, house painter, bike mechanic, bike courier, and teacher. He has published a number of stories and poems, including one novel, The Church of the Very Last Chance (Deeper Magic Press, 2024), three collections of poetry, Language Lessons: A Linguistic Hejira (Deeper Magic Press, 2023), The Bridge (Sequoia Song Publications) and 64 Questions (March Street Press). Among his awards, he won second place in the 2024 Dancing Poetry Festival for his poem "Roadside Grave." "The Earthquake” was nominated for Best of Net at Synkroniciti in fall 2024, for which he also won the Synkroniciti award for best poem in the Sept. issue, 2023. He won second place in relationships category for Write from the Heart Anthology 2023, the Barbara Curiel Award for a poem titled “Depaysement” in Toyon 2018, the Noctua Review poetry contest for spring 2017, the Rotting Post humor competition for fall 2016, and the Jodi Stutz prize from Toyon 2017 for his poem “Cana de Azucar.”  Additionally, he was nominated for a Pushcart by Relief Journal for a poem called “Doubt.”  He lives in Eureka, California, far enough the madness of civilization that he can still see the stars at night and hear the Canada geese calling.  He served as the inaugural Poet Laureate for the City of Eureka from August 2019-August 2021.