Ron Koertge

Ron Koertge (April 22, 1940) is an American poet and author of young adult fiction. Koertge is currently the Poet Laureate of South Pasadena, California. Koertge's honors include a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, a California Arts Council grant, and inclusion in numerous anthologies. His young-adult fiction has won many awards, including Friends of American Writers Young People’s Literature Award, New York Library’s 100 Best Children’s Books, ALA Best Book, New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age, and P.E.N. awards. In 2017, he was awarded a Pushcart Prize.

Koertge grew up in Olney, Illinois. He received a bachelor of arts degree (BA) from the University of Illinois and a master of arts degree (MA) from the University of Arizona. Koertge was a faculty member at Pasadena City College for more than 25 years, where he taught a popular poetry writing workshop. He also taught at Hamline University in the master of fine arts (MFA) in Writing for Children & Young Adults program.

Along with his wife, Koertge lives in South Pasadena, California. His house was the home of Laurie Strode in the original ''Halloween'' movie.

Koertge is currently the Poet Laureate of South Pasadena, "an honorary position given to a South Pasadena resident poet to serve as the city's official ambassador for the literary arts." Provided by Wikipedia