W. Scott Olsen has a BA in English from the University of Missouri/Columbia, a MA in English from the University of Missouri/Columbia, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. He is currently a professor of English at Concordia College in Moorhead and the author of 12 books.

Olsen has received grants from LRAC, and has been a deeply impressed by the work of artists supported by the Council. He serves as a member of the LRAC Board to repay his longtime admiration for the Lake Region Arts Council.