Helen Ruggieri grew up in a series of small towns in New York and Pennsylvania, graduating from Penn State University and continuing her studies at St Bonaventure University. She published her first poem in the English Journal and since has had over 200 poems in magazines and anthologies.With her late husband Ford she edited a little magazine (Uroboros) for five years receiving grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Between writing poems and teaching she has birthed three children and raised two dogs, and attempted to keep her 100-year-old house from disintegrating.She is a master gardener and has a black sash in tai chi.Since retiring she has led workshops for the Mental Health Association, the African American Center for Cultural Development and organized reading series in bars, libraries, furniture stores and just about any underutilized spaces in the area. The TriCounty Arts Council selected her for a lifetime achievement award.