Philip Venzke grew up on a dairy farm near Colby, Wisconsin. A lifelong student of creative writing, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, served in the U.S. Navy based in California, and worked in the Information Technology sector until his retirement. His poetry and translations have been published extensively in the U.S. and abroad. A James Tate International Contest prize-winner, his first chapbook of poetry, was published in 2022 by SurVision Books in Ireland. A continuing love of world travel invigorates him, providing inspiration, education and enlightenment rarely found elsewhere. He and his wife, Susan, reside in Wisconsin.