
(Courtesy University of Nevada Special Collections)
William L. Fox was born in 1949 and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Claremont College in 1971. In that year his first volume of poetry was published (Iron Wind, Sono Nis Press). The following year his book of poems Trial Separation was published by Caveman Press. Fox's other published works include Election, Three Rivers Press, 1974; Monody, Laughing Bear Press, 1977; First Principles (as Ian Tarnman), The Future Press, 1978; The Yellow Pages, 616 Center One Press, 1980; 21 and Over, Duck Down Press, 1982; Time by Distance, Duck Down Press, 1985; Reliquaire, Duck Down Press, 1987; and Seven Nevada Poets (as editor), Rainshadow Editions, 1991. His poetry, criticism, drama, and nonfiction have been published in numerous magazines and journals in the U.S. and other countries. Fox also wrote under the pen name Ian Tarnman, primarily in the 1970s.
Fox co-founded the small press, West Coast Poetry Review with Bruce McAllister in 1972, and specialized in publishing poetry chap books, publications of under thirty pages or so. WCPR is no longer in business as of 1993.
Fox has been an artist-in-residence in the states of Nevada and Washington; and associate, deputy, and executive director of the Nevada State Council on the Arts. He served as a panelist for the Literature Program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and poetry program director for the Squaw Valley Community of Writers. His art work has been shown in many exhibitions. He currently resides in Southern California.

