Timothy Russell (1951-2021) was born and raised in the industrial Ohio Valley. He served in the military as a dog trainer in the early 1970s when he married Jodi (Dolan) Russell. He worked for 22 years at Weirton Steel Company as a millwright and boilermaker while attaining a BA at West Liberty State College and a Masters degree in creative writing from the University of Pittsburgh. He began writing in 1970s and published widely in literary presses, chapbooks, and in his award-winning Adversaria book in 1993.

He and Jodi parented four children with eight grandchildren while living along the Ohio River in Toronto, Ohio. Despite his recurring and debilitating illnesses and being forced to retire, he wrote prolifically and achieved fame as a working-class, nature, and haiku poet.