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Bob Hicok

ボブ・ヒコック

Bob Hicok

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1960 （Grand Ledge, Michigan, U.S.）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Michigan (place of origin) → Blacksburg, Virginia — faculty at Virginia Tech → Purdue University (2015–2016) — taught as associate professor

Career

Occupations
Poet, Professor
Active Years
1991-
Affiliations
Virginia Tech, Western Michigan University, Purdue University

Education

Vermont College of Fine Arts
Degree: MFA
Year of Graduation: 2004
Country: United States
Previously had no undergraduate degree; earned an MFA in 2004 after publishing several collections.

Awards

Guggenheim Fellowship
2008
Category: Poetry
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: Winner
Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry
2008
Work: This Clumsy Living
Category: Poetry
Organization: Library of Congress
Result: Winner
National Book Critics Circle Award (shortlist)
2013
Work: Elegy Owed
Category: Poetry
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: Shortlist
National Book Critics Circle Award (finalist)
2001
Work: Animal Soul
Category: Poetry
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: Finalist

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Bearing Witness

1991 Poetry collection

An early collection focusing on work and fragments of daily life.

workeveryday lifeidentity

The Legend of Light

1995 Poetry collection

Published by University of Wisconsin Press; selected as a Booklist Notable Book.

memorylight and shadow

Plus Shipping

1998 Poetry collection

A 1998 collection notable for colloquial voice and humor.

humorconsumerism

Animal Soul

2001 Poetry collection

Published in 2001; was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

physicalityinner and outer worlds

Insomnia Diary

2004 Poetry collection

Published in 2004; contains poems about sleeplessness, solitude, and fragmented thought.

insomniasolitude

This Clumsy Living

2007 Poetry collection

Published in 2007; explores awkwardness of daily life and relationships; won the Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry in 2008.

awkwardnessfamilyrelationships

Words for Empty and Words for Full

2010 Poetry collection

Published in 2010; reflections on language, absence, and fulfillment.

languageabsence and fulfillment

Elegy Owed

2013 Poetry collection

Published in 2013; deals with death, loss, and elegy; was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

deathlosselegy

Sex & Love &

2016 Poetry collection

Published in 2016; explores intimacy, desire, and complexities of human relationships.

intimacydesire

Hold

2018 Poetry collection

Published in 2018; poems on holding emotions and change.

emotionchange

Water Look Away

2023 Poetry collection

A 2023 collection presenting perspectives on contemporary society and the individual.

contemporary societythe individual

Bibliography

  • Bearing Witness (1991)
  • The Legend of Light (1995)
  • Plus Shipping (1998)
  • Animal Soul (2001)
  • Insomnia Diary (2004)
  • This Clumsy Living (2007)
  • Words for Empty and Words for Full (2010)
  • Elegy Owed (2013)
  • Sex & Love & (2016)
  • Hold (2018)
  • Water Look Away (2023)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
colloquial, rhythmic dictionuse of humor and irony
Recurring Motifs
workfamilylossthe body

Legacy

Bob Hicok is a prominent contemporary American poet known for his distinctive voice on work and everyday fragments. He has received major awards and nominations and has had a long career in academia.

Academic Societies

  • Academy of American Poets (associated)

Trivia

  • Previously owned and ran an automotive die-design business before becoming a poet.
  • Published several collections before earning an MFA in 2004.