Born in Beijing, Xue Di has since shortly after the Tienanmen Square Massacre, been a Visiting Fellow in Brown University's Freedom to Write Program. His poetry books include three translations in English: Circumstances, Heart Into Soil, and Flames; and three in Chinese: Hui Yi (Remembering), Chan Li (Trembling), and Meng Yi (Dream Talk). Also in Chinese, he published a criticism of modern Chinese poetry, and has edited several Chinese poetry anthologies. He is the two-time recipient of the Hellman/Hammett Award.