Marshall Smith is educated in the art of creative writing, and specifically poetry, at the world-famous University of Iowa Writers Workshop MFA program. He studied under Pulitzer Prize poet Donald Justice, and poets Marvin Bell, Stephen Dobyns, and Sandra McPherson. Marshall has taught creative writing classes and seminars, is on the steering committee for the Kenosha Writers Guild, has been a speaker on behalf of the Wisconsin Writers Association, and is published in various anthologies. After having grown up and lived in the Chicago area, Marshall and his wife, Katherine, now live by Lake Michigan in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. The Truest Thing I Know is his debut collection.