Rod Carlos Rodriguez (Stryker) earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Bachelors Degree in English with a Creative Writing Concentration from the University of Texas at San Antonio (Summa Cum Laude). He is a Lecturer (Adjunct Professor) at the University of Texas at San Antonio Writing Program. He began his writing career at 15. His first book, Exploits of a Sun Poet (Pecan Grove Press, February 2003), was awarded the San Antonio Barnes and Noble/Bookstop Author-of-the-Month, February 2003 and also the San Antonio Current Best Book of 2005. Rod began the Sun Poetic Times literary-visual arts magazine in 1994, founded the Sun Poet's Society in 1995 and co-founded the Sun Arts Foundation in 2004. The Sun Poet's Society is known today around the world, celebrated its 25th Anniversary in March 2020, and is the longest running weekly open-mic poetry reading in South Texas (1995-2022). Rod mentors people of all ages, backgrounds, and genres and he was nominated for the San Antonio Poet Laureate in April 2012, April 2014, April 2016, and 2018. His 2nd collection of poetry and art photography, Lucid Affairs, was published by Sun Arts Press and is in its 3^rd Edition. More recently, his 3rd collection of poetry, Native Instincts, was published in January 2016 by Human Error Publishing.   Rod started photography as illustrations for his poetry in both Exploits of a Sun Poet and Lucid Affairs. His 4th book of poetry Cantos, Incandescent, is forthcoming in March 2024 and will be published by Finishing Line Press. His 5th book of poetry, A History of Echoes, is forthcoming by Gival Press in October 2024. His art photography shows have been held at such galleries as Blue Star Arts Complex, Casa Chiapas, and Ruta Maya, Riverwalk.