Clay Rooks was born and raised in the Midwest, though he has also lived in Minnesota, Louisiana, and California. He has been a writer and editor for over 25 years. His undergraduate degree in biology and English is from Iowa State University; his graduate degree in English and writing is from CSU Fresno. He has also completed post-graduate work at CSU Fresno and Fresno Pacific University.

His professional life has been varied and broad to say the least. Previously, he was writer and VP for Stellar International, an entertainment concern, before becoming the head science writer and managing editor for the Sea Grant College Program in Louisiana.  In California he was the head writer and managing editor for Cedar Productions where he specialized in science and technical writing and editing before moving into teaching.  

He has published over 100 articles, photographs, poems, and stories in publications as wide-ranging as The Southern Review, The Great River Review, Sketch, In the Grove, Common Wages, and Sinn und Form. His short stories have been read on Public Radio in Louisiana and California. He is the author, with Richard Santos, of the handbook The Quick College Guide: Reading, Writing, and Studying. Currently he is teaching English, writing, and critical thinking.