David Rivard (born 1953 in Fall River, Massachusetts) is an American poet. He is the author of seven books including Wise Poison, winner the 1996 James Laughlin Award, and Standoff, winner the 2017 PEN New England Award in Poetry. He is also a Professor of English Creative Writing in the Masters of Fine Arts program at the University of New Hampshire. His poems and essays have appeared in numerous literary magazines, including New England Review, Ploughshares, Poetry, and TriQuarterly.