 Wood was born and raised in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where his family lived near an evangelical church.He received his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Arkansas State University, and his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing and Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Arkansas, where he studied under T. C. Duncan Eaves, who inspired Wood to focus his dissertation studies on 18th century literature.Poetry
While still a graduate student, Wood’s poetry was noticed by Allen Ginsberg, who praised the work.