Galyean, born in east Texas, grew up in San Diego, CA until graduation from UCSD in biology. A short stab at an acting career led to performing as a teacher of ESL and then to teaching literature analysis at adult schools, mostly to eager immigrant students. After reading Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, years of journal writing translated into what would become Bougainvillea Blues, earning an M.A. in English from CSULA for a much shorter version. He now lives in the sprawl of Los Angeles with his wife and an enormous pepper tree.