Sandy McIntosh was born in Rockville Centre, New York, and received a BA from Southampton College in 1970, an MFA from Columbia University in 1972, and a PhD. from the Union Graduate School in 1979. After working with children for eight years as a writer in the schools he completed a study of writers who taught in the program and how their work with children affected their own writing. The study, The Poets in the Poets-in-the Schools was published by the Minnesota Center for Social Research, University of Minnesota. He alternated teaching creative writing at Southampton College, New York Institute of Technology, and Hofstra University with publishing nonfiction works, such as Firing Back (John Wiley 1997), and computer software, such as Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing! (Electronic Arts, 1986). For several years he contributed journalism, poetry, and opinion columns to The New York Times, Newsday, The Nation, The Wall Street Journal, American Book Review, The Daily Beast, the New York Daily News, and elsewhere. Recently, he has given extensive interviews in fourteen national and international television documentaries, including PBS FRONTLINE, concerning his military school friend, Donald Trump. He was also editor and publisher of Wok Talk, a Chinese cooking bi-monthly and the author and editor of several Chinese cook books.
His first collection of poetry, Earth Works, was published by Southampton College the year he graduated. He has since published ten more collections. His original poetry in a screenplay shared the Silver Medal in the Film Festival of the Americas. The title poem of this collection was published by The New York Times' web edition. An excerpt of his collaboration with Denise Duhamel appears on The Best American Poetry blog.
He served as chairman of the Distinguished Poets series at Guild Hall, East Hampton, NY from 1980-2000. He was elected to PEN American Center in the 1990's. His biography appears in Contemporary Authors volumes 45-48 (Gale Research Company).
He has been managing editor of Long Island University's national literary journal, Confrontation, and is publisher of Marsh Hawk Press.
