Mr. Bedell was born and raised in south Louisiana. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches before attending the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, where he earned his M.F.A., and the University of Louisiana—Lafayette, where he earned his Ph.D.

Currently, Bedell is the Woman’s Hospital Distinguished Professor in the Humanities at Southeastern Louisiana University where he also serves as editor of Louisiana Literature and director of Louisiana Literature Press. His most recent books are Call and Response (Texas Review Press),  Come Rain, Come Shine (Texas Review Press) and French Connections: A Gathering of Franco-American Poets (LaLit Press).

He’s also author of What Passes for Love and At the Bonehouse, both published by Texas Review Press (a member of the Texas A&M Press Consortium) and Greatest Hits (Pudding House Press). His recent work appears in the Southern Review, Hudson Review, Connecticut Review, Paterson Literary Review, Texas Review, Southeast Review, and other journals.