Takako U. Lento has taught at universities in Japan and the United States. She holds an MFA in poetry and translation from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her publications include book-length Japanese translations of American writers as well as English translations of, and essays on, Japanese poets. She is a regular contributor to Poetry International Web. Most recently she coedited and contributed to the work, Tamura Ryuichi: On the Life and Work of a 20th Century Master.