James Dalton Byrd was born in Beaumont, Texas. He was a musician/entertainer for almost twenty years... playing in Beaumont, Dallas/Fort Worth, Nashville, Washington D. C., Baltimore, and New York. He retired as a teacher of biology, chemistry, and physics in 2003. Now he enjoys writing, fishing, and kayaking in the Adirondacks for about four months out of the year. The influence of a tour of duty with the United States Army (Infantry) in Vietnam emerges in some of his poetry. All of his poems are taken from his wide range of interests and experiences.