In a 1985 interview with fellow poet John Kinsella, Kevin Hart reflected on the nature of poetry: "People sometimes think that the spiritual world is distinct from, even distant from, this world. . . . But the spiritual world is within this one: not as a secret, but as a radiance. . . . We find it through God's grace and our attention. Poetry is one form of attention, and poetry does not lead us to another world: it shows us this world, this relationship, this chair, this ivy on the outside wall." In Young Rain, Hart continues his exploration of the mysterious radiance within this world.

Kevin Hart is Edwin B. Kyle professor of Christian Studies at the University of Virginia. The author of seven volumes of poetry, he is also the author or editor of a number of scholarly books, including Counter-Experiences: Reading Jean-Luc Marion (University of Notre Dame Press, 2007).