Born in Korea, and adopted at three, Mark L. Keats grew up in Maryland. He earned his BA in Japanese Language and Literature and his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland, College Park, and his PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from Texas Tech University. Given his surname, he investigated any familial link to the poet John Keats to no avail. In the process, though, he did trace the Keats family name all the way to the New World in the Colony of Virginia in the 1620s. Conversely, his search for his birth family ended where it began: Korea. His creative work often focuses on the negotiations of family making, focusing on transnational adoption, identity, and infertility. He is grateful for the support received from Texas Tech University, Kundiman, The Martha's Institute of Creative Writing, and Artist Trust.