Van McKellar is a seventy-nine-year-old retired machinist living in Aurora Colorado. Van dropped out of high school in 1956; however, fifty years later in 2006, entered college for the first time. He earned his BA in African American Studies in 2012, minoring in History.

Van’s writing varies. Although, Van has no training in poetry or writing, he occasionally writes rhyming verse. His poems often reveal a historical perspective as well as reflections of social consciousness. Spiritual significance abounds.

Van’s disabilities grew out of an injury sustained in 1982. Other medical problems are hereditary. Although Van has a commercial pilot’s license, his physical impairments have curtailed his days of General Aviation flying. Van is unpublished. Currently, his only submission is to Nubianpoets.com 2018 National Poetry Month Contest.