Dionisio D. Martinez, born in Cuba in 1956, is the author of Climbing Back (2001), selected for the National Poetry Series by Pulitzer Prize-winner Jorie Graham, Bad Alchemy (1995), History as a Second Language (1993), and Dancing at the Chelsea (1992).
He has been the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Whiting Foundation. Bad Alchemy was one of 25 titles included in the New York Public Library's 1995 "Books to Remember" list. History as a Second Language won the Ohio State University Press/The Journal Award for Poetry.
He was invited to read at the Library of Congress, in Washington, D.C., where he also recorded his work for the Library's archives.
He has conducted writing workshops in universities across the United States.
His work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines, including The New Republic, The Norton Anthology of Poetry, The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, The Jazz Poetry Anthology, Poetry, The American Poetry Review, and two editions of The Best American Poetry.
His reviews and essays have appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Miami Herald, The St. Petersburg Times, and other periodicals.
He is currently working on two poetry collections.