Tom Poland

Tom Poland (February 4, 1949) was born in Augusta, Georgia, as Thomas Mitchell Poland to John Mitchell Poland and Ruth Walker Poland. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Lincolnton, Georgia. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Masters in Education from the University of Georgia.

A frequent contributor to magazines, he has written approximately 400 features. Poland’s first book, "South Carolina—The Natural Heritage", was published in 1989 by the University of South Carolina Press. James Dickey wrote the foreword. In 1994, the University of South Carolina Press published his second book, "South Carolina—A Timeless Journey". In 1996, he published "Deliver Me from Leviathan" in "Reckon" magazine, a literary feature on the career of James Dickey. Excerpts and references from "Deliver Me From Leviathan" were published in 2000 in "The World As A Lie—James Dickey", the Dickey biography authored by Henry Hart. In 1999, the University of South Carolina published his third book, "Reflections of South Carolina". In 2005, Bookhouse Group published his fourth book, "A Just & Noble Cause".

His novel, "Forbidden Island ... An Island Called Sapelo", deals with themes of hope and destruction: man's alteration of the Earth and man's efforts to stave off the inevitable loss of family.

He has lived in Columbia, South Carolina, much of his adult life, where he writes and teaches.