E. Gene Givens was born in Broxton, Georgia and raised in Cincinnati’s “West End” and educated in public schools. He entered the U.S. Coast Guard at age 17, where he first began writing poetry. After ten years’ service, he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Coast Guard as Yeoman (Petty Officer 1st Class). He entered college, and graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio with a BSBA in Management and a minor in English. In August 1981, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, and on 1 February 1995, after twenty-three years of distinguished military service, around the world, he retired from the U. S. Army as Major, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (Acquisition). E. Gene Givens has participated in numerous poetry readings and poetry workshops, and his poetry has appeared in many regional and national literary publications. He has previously published two Chapbooks of poetry – “Blacker The Berry…” and “Journeys.” His recent publications are “Listen To My Heart,” and “BROTHERS.” His current projects include “In Between The Inspiration,” and “The West End Traveler: Poems, Short Stories, and Essays.” E. Gene Givens is currently living and writing poetry in Abingdon, Maryland.