James Laughlin Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 25 (1978) Winner
Ai (Florence Ai Ogawa)
アイ（フローレンス・オガワ）
Ai Ogawa
Pen Names:
Ai（Pen name used for poetry since 1969; legally changed name to Ai Ogawa in 1973.）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1947-10-21 （Albany, Texas, United States）
- Died
- 2010-03-20 （Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States） age 62
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Catholicism
- Residence History
- Tucson, Arizona, United States → Los Angeles, California, United States → Las Vegas, Nevada, United States → San Francisco, California, United States → Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Educator, Professor
- Active Years
- 1970-2010
- Affiliations
- Oklahoma State University (faculty), Binghamton University (visiting instructor)
- Influenced By
- Donald Justice, Charles Wright
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arizona | College of Humanities | English and Oriental Studies (concentration in Japanese); minor in Creative Writing | B.A. | 1965–1969 | United States |
| University of California, Irvine | Graduate School (MFA) | Creative Writing (MFA program) | MFA | 1969–1971 | United States |
University of Arizona
College of Humanities
/ English and Oriental Studies (concentration in Japanese); minor in Creative Writing
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
1965–1969
Year of Graduation:
1969
Country:
United States
Majored in English and Oriental Studies with a concentration in Japanese; later committed to Creative Writing minor.
University of California, Irvine
Graduate School (MFA)
/ Creative Writing (MFA program)
Degree:
MFA
Period:
1969–1971
Year of Graduation:
1971
Country:
United States
Studied under Charles Wright and Donald Justice.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | National Book Award (Poetry) | Vice: New and Selected Poems | — | National Book Foundation | winner |
| 1986 | American Book Award | Sin | — | Before Columbus Foundation | winner |
| 1978 | Lamont Poetry Selection | Killing Floor | — | Academy of American Poets | selection |
| — | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | recipient |
| — | National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | recipient |
| — | Bunting Fellowship (Radcliffe College) | — | — | Radcliffe College | fellow |
National Book Award (Poetry)
1999
Work:
Vice: New and Selected Poems
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
winner
American Book Award
1986
Work:
Sin
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
winner
Lamont Poetry Selection
1978
Work:
Killing Floor
Organization:
Academy of American Poets
Result:
selection
Guggenheim Fellowship
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
recipient
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
recipient
Bunting Fellowship (Radcliffe College)
Organization:
Radcliffe College
Result:
fellow
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Vice: New and Selected Poems
1999 Contemporary American PoetryA collection using dramatic monologues to depict violence and marginalized lives. A selected works volume and winner of the National Book Award.
ViolenceMarginalized livesDramatic monologueHistorical personae
Cruelty
1973 Poetry collectionEarly collection illuminating how people treat each other and themselves with stark clarity.
Cruelty in human relationsViolence
Killing Floor
1979 Poetry collectionLamont Poetry Selection; features long-form poems portraying characters' lives and dark episodes.
Life of charactersViolence and suffering
Sin
1986 Poetry collectionA collection themed on morality and sin; recipient of the American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation.
SinMoralityPersona poems rather than confessional
Fate
1991 Poetry collectionA collection exploring themes of fate and destiny.
FateHistory
Greed
1993 Poetry collectionPoems centered on greed and desire.
DesireEthics
Dread: Poems
2003 Poetry collectionContains poems touching on family history and ethnic background; a notable mid-career work.
Family historyRace and identity
No Surrender
2010 Poetry collectionPosthumously published collection including late poems and unfinished fragments.
MortalityReminiscence
The Collected Poems of Ai
2013 Collected poems 448 pagesDefinitive collected edition of her poems, published in 2013.
Dramatic monologueViolence and marginalization
Bibliography
- Cruelty (1973)
- Killing Floor (1979)
- Sin (1986)
- Fate (1991)
- Greed (1993)
- Vice: New and Selected Poems (1999)
- Dread: Poems (2003)
- No Surrender (2010)
- The Collected Poems of Ai (2013)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Mastery of the dramatic monologue (persona poem)Direct, visceral imageryUse of historical figures and criminals as narrators
- Recurring Motifs
- ViolenceMarginalized individualsSin and atonementIdentity (multiracial background)
Health
-
Breast cancer (stage IV)2000年代後半～2010年Led to complications resulting in death in 2010; treatment and health constrained creative activity.
Legacy
Ai was acclaimed for her mastery of the dramatic monologue and her sharp portrayal of violence and marginalized lives. Winner of the 1999 National Book Award for Vice, she left a lasting impact on American poetry and academic study of persona poems.
Academic Societies
- Academy of American Poets (associated)
Archives
- Oklahoma State University Libraries / Archives (holds related materials)
In Popular Culture
- Frequently anthologized and taught in creative writing courses.
Quotes
-
I want to take the narrative 'persona' poem as far as I can. All the way or nothing.
Source: Interview (1978) (1978)
Trivia
- Born Florence Anthony; legally changed name to Florence Ai Ogawa in 1973 after discovering Japanese paternity.
- Began writing seriously at age 14.
- Identified as multiracial (Japanese, Native American, Black, Irish, etc.) but was not enrolled in any Native nation.
- Won the 1999 National Book Award for Vice.
- Died in 2010 from complications of stage IV breast cancer.