Bayes was born and raised in Oregon , served in the military in Iceland , received undergraduate and master’s degrees at Eastern Oregon University and later studied at The University of Pennsylvania. After teaching for the University of Maryland on two occasions and living in Japan he came to St. Andrews Presbyterian College in l968—as writer-in-residence—where he founded St. Andrews Press and St. Andrews Review in l970. He has published l3 books of poetry, two plays, a chapbook of short fiction, and a work of criticism, “John Reed and The Limits of Idealism.” He is a recipient of NC’s highest civilian award, The North Carolina Award, and The NC Writers’ Network presented him with its first annual Lifetime Achievement Award—which it named in his honor. At St. Andrews he teaches creative writing, modern poetry, and Japanese fiction and film.