The Bangkok Sessions

James Heald is a native English speaker from the United States who currently lives in Thailand. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, James moved with his mother and two sisters to Ashland, Kentucky, where he grew up. Class assignments in elementary and junior high schools affected his appreciation for poetry, but following an example from a fellow student in a church youth group, he put pen to paper to see if there was something to poetry. It would be 1985 before he would try to get somewhat serious about writing. Working security after completing his journalism degree at Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas, gave him plenty of time for staying up all night and writing, reading, experimenting with words and rhymes. Answering a "help wanted" spot in a magazine led James to South Korea, where he spent three years teaching conversational English. In 2008 he moved to Thailand, where he earned TEFL certification from Chiang Mai University. James is currently looking for a new teaching position, and is editing poetry collections featuring poems he has written in the last 15 years.