William Benton received his early training in music and worked as a jazz piano player before becoming a writer. His poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and a number of other magazines. He has published several books of poetry, most recently Backlit, as well as Exchanging Hats, a book on the paintings of Elizabeth Bishop (FSG), and Madly, a novel (Counterpoint), blurbed by James Salter, Ann Beattie, Phillip Lopate. His newest book is Eye Contact, a book of art writing.