CHRISTOPHER MERRILL has published eight collections of poetry including Watch Fire, for which he received the Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets; many edited volumes and translations; and six books of nonfiction, including Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars; Things of the Hidden God: Journey to the Holy Mountain; The Tree of the Doves: Ceremony, Expedition, War; and Self-Portrait with Dogwood. As the director of the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, he has conducted cultural diplomacy missions to more than 50 countries.