Steve Roggenbuck

Steve Roggenbuck (born November 11, 1987) is an American poet, blogger, and YouTuber. His works have gained notoriety and mild recognition for their reusing of motifs like typos, lack of punctuation, and exaggerated joy. In 2018, Roggenbuck was accused of sending sexually explicit messages to underage girls, among other sexually abusive behaviors.

Roggenbuck's work has been profiled by The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Gawker, The Atlantic, The Fader, The Guardian, and Flavorwire. His most popular video has been viewed over 200,000 times online.

Roggenbuck grew up in Ruth, Michigan. He attended Central Michigan University as an undergraduate and began an MFA in poetry at Columbia College Chicago but dropped out in late 2011 after becoming disillusioned with the program. In 2012 he toured the United States for over eleven months, performing his poetry, staying with Internet friends, experimental freeloading, and living frugally. During this period Roggenbuck contributed to the rapid growth of the Alt Lit writing community by "mov[ing] about the country hosting alt lit parties, recruiting and inspiring new alt lit writers."

All together, Roggenbuck has done over 250 poetry performances in eight countries, including all fifty of the United States. Currently he lives in Tucson, Arizona, where he is an editor at Boost House, a small press and arts residency.

In October 2018, Roggenbuck was accused of sending sexually explicit messages to underage girls. Roggenbuck acknowledged and admitted to the accusations on his social media accounts where he posted an apology. Despite stating in his apology that he "did not have a habit of talking to 16-year-olds this way," it is claimed that more than 20 other people have corroborated similar stories.