Abandoned in his infancy, raised in orphanages and foster care before being adopted into a farming family. His youth was marked by theft and jails, and a stint in the Marines. He began his formal education at the Los Angeles City College, and eventually graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He has translated poetry in classical Chinese, Japanese, Latin, and Estonian. His own poetry has been translated into a dozen languages. He is the co-founder of Copper Canyon Press. Sam Hamill now lives in Port Townsend, Washington.