He is the author of four books of poetry, most recently THE PRAYERS OF OTHERS (New Issues, 2006). His first book was chosen for the 1999 T.S. Eliot Award. His essays and poems have appeared in scores of magazines, including, in 2006, PLOUGHSHARES, AGNI, PRAIRIE SCHOONER, SMARTISH PACE, FLORIDA REVIEW, and elsewhere. In 2003 David Keplinger won a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. The following piece is a selection on sickness and the arts, a memoir to appear in his book on poetry writing, THE CATHEDRAL EFFECT. Next Column:......................................................................................................................................Back to Columns Index