Margaret Gibson's poems are profoundly moral. She explores the human condition as it is rooted in the land and in social relationships. Influenced by Zen and Christian teachings, her poems show her to be meditative, curious, concerned, and loving.

Gibson was born in Philadelphia to John and Mattie Ferguson, and was raised in Richmond, Virginia. In 1966 she received her B.A. from Hollins College and a year later earned her M.A. from the University of Virginia. She married Ross Gibson on 27 August 1966; they were divorced in May 1974. On 27 December 1975 she married the poet David McKain; they live in Preston, Connecticut, with the two children from his previous marriage, Joshua and Megan.Since 1967 Gibson has taught English at various institutions, among them George Mason University, the University of Connecticut, Phillips Academy in Andover, and Virginia Commonwealth University.

In her first full-length book, Signs (1979), Gibson introduces the themes and...