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Afaa M. Weaver

アファー・エム・ウィーバー

Afaa M. Weaver

Aliases: Michael S. Weaver / Afaa Michael Weaver
Pen Names: Afaa（Ibo name given by Nigerian playwright Tess Onwueme; means 'oracle'）, Wei Yafeng（Chinese name given by Dr. Perng Ching-hsi）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Baltimore (birthplace) → Taipei, Taiwan — study and Fulbright appointment → Boston, MA (Simmons College faculty) → Philadelphia, PA (professional activity)

Career

Occupations
poet, short-story writer, editor, professor
Active Years
1975-
Affiliations
Simmons University (faculty), The Frost Place (Director of the Writing Intensive), Zora Neale Hurston Literary Center (director), Cave Canem Foundation (faculty, first named elder)
Memberships
Cave Canem Foundation, Simmons University (faculty affiliation)
Influenced By
Tess Onwueme (playwright)

Education

Excelsior University
Degree: B.A.
Country: United States
B.A. obtained (year not specified)
Brown University
Degree: M.A.
Country: United States
Attended on fellowship (year not specified)
University of Maryland (attended two years)
Country: United States
No degree (attended two years)
Taipei Language Institute
Chinese language studies
Country: Taiwan
Chinese language study

Awards

Wallace Stevens Award
2023
Organization: Academy of American Poets
Result: 受賞
Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award
2014
Work: The City of Eternal Spring
Organization: Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award committee
Result: 受賞
Fulbright Scholarship
2002
Organization: Fulbright Program
Result: 受給
National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship
1985
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Result: 受給
Pew Fellowships in the Arts
1998
Organization: The Pew Charitable Trusts
Result: 受給

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

A Fire in the Hills

2023 Poetry

A recent collection of poems combining nature, memory, spirituality, and locality.

naturememoryspirituality

Spirit Boxing

2017 Poetry

A collection exploring corporeality and spiritual dialogue, blending tradition and contemporary sensibilities.

embodimentspiritual dialoguetradition and modernity

The City of Eternal Spring

2014 Poetry

Kingsley Tufts Award-winning collection characterized by long-form poems weaving cityscape, memory, and seasons.

citymemoryseasons

A Hard Summation

2014 Poetry

A concise collection of poems questioning self, society, and history.

selfsocietyhistory

The Government of Nature

2013 Poetry

A work exploring the order of nature and its relation to humanity in poetic terms.

natural orderhuman-nature relationship

The Plum Flower Dance: Poems 1985 to 2005

2007 Poetry

A retrospective collecting poems from 1985 to 2005.

retrospectivegrowthtradition

Multitudes

2000 Poetry

A collection themed around the intersections of individual, collective, and history.

individual and collectivehistory

The Ten Lights of God

2000 Poetry

Contains poems touching on spiritual and religious themes.

spiritualityreligion

Timber and Prayer: The Indian Pond Poems

1995 Poetry

A collection depicting nature and memory centered on a specific place (Indian Pond).

sense of placenaturememory

My Father's Geography

1992 Poetry

Poetic work layering family history and personal history.

familymemoryroots

Water Song

1985 Poetry

One of his early collections, featuring motifs of flow and water.

waterfluidity

Bibliography

  • A Fire in the Hills
  • Spirit Boxing
  • The City of Eternal Spring
  • A Hard Summation
  • The Government of Nature
  • The Plum Flower Dance: Poems 1985 to 2005
  • Multitudes
  • The Ten Lights of God
  • Timber and Prayer: The Indian Pond Poems
  • My Father's Geography
  • Water Song
  • Sandy Point

Adaptations

  • Rosa (stage play) — produced 1993 at Venture Theater in Philadelphia

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and imagisticmulticultural elements blended with ritual language
Recurring Motifs
natureancestry and familyritualpower of language

Legacy

Afaa M. Weaver is an important voice in contemporary American poetry, praised for weaving multiculturalism, spirituality, and nature into his work. Major honors such as the Kingsley Tufts Award and Wallace Stevens Award have recognized his achievements.

Academic Societies

  • Cave Canem Foundation (associated)

Archives

  • Library of Congress holdings (bibliographic references)

Trivia

  • Was given the Ibo name 'Afaa' ('oracle') by Nigerian playwright Tess Onwueme.
  • Time magazine ran an article describing him as a former factory worker.
  • Has taught at Simmons University and served as Director of the Writing Intensive at The Frost Place.