Jim Coppoc is an Iowa-based poet and songwriter, and full-time musician at the Iowa Veteran's Home.  Although he'll make an attempt at any request, he specializes in the disappearing folk, blues, "oldies" and country that make up 20th-century Americana.   Jim has been a member of a number of bands over time, including "Gatehouse Saints" and "The Disappearing Songs Project."

Jim holds an MFA in poetry, specializing in spoken word; an MAL (Master of Arts in Leadership) specializing in Trauma Informed Care; and several other degrees and certifications.  In his first career, Jim taught literature, creative writing and American Indian Studies at Iowa State University, and was a founding faculty member in the low-residency MFA program at Chatham University.  He has been recognized nationally and internationally for his writing, and has published several books of mixed poetry, nonfiction and plays.  Jim is also an award-winning theologian and a small-town lay minister on weekends, leading a small-but-growing congregation deeply committed to the values of love, grace, justice and inclusion.