Myers graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1973 with a BS degree and received an MFA in 1977 from the University of Iowa. He earned his Ph. D. in English and Creative Writing at the University of Houston in 1986. In addition to writing poetry and teaching creative writing, he has played string bass with several orchestras, including the Newfoundland Symphony, and guitar with a rock band called Torres that he has been a member of since high school. His wife Connie and he have two children, Jacqueline and Timothy.