James Laughlin Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 54 (2007) Winner
Brenda Shaughnessy
ブレンダ・シャフネッシー
Brenda Shaughnessy
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1970-01-01 （Okinawa Island, USCAR）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Okinawa Island (born) → Southern California (grew up) → Verona, New Jersey (residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Associate professor of English (MFA), Editor
- Active Years
- 1998-
- Affiliations
- Rutgers University–Newark (MFA program, associate professor)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of California, Santa Cruz | — | Literature and Women's Studies | BA | — | United States |
| Columbia University | — | Creative Writing (MFA) | MFA | — | United States |
University of California, Santa Cruz
Literature and Women's Studies
Degree:
BA
Year of Graduation:
1992
Country:
United States
Columbia University
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree:
MFA
Year of Graduation:
1999
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | American Academy of Arts and Letters Literature Award | — | — | American Academy of Arts and Letters | winner |
| 2009 | James Laughlin Award | Human Dark with Sugar | — | Academy of American Poets | winner |
| 2012 | Library Journal Book of the Year (selection) | Our Andromeda | — | Library Journal | honor |
| 2013 | The New York Times '100 Best Books' selection | Our Andromeda | — | The New York Times | honor |
| 2013 | Griffin Poetry Prize (shortlisted) | Our Andromeda | — | Griffin Poetry Prize | shortlisted |
| 2013 | PEN/Open Book Award (shortlisted) | Our Andromeda | — | PEN America | shortlisted |
| 2001 | PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry (nominated) | Interior with Sudden Joy | — | PEN America | nominated |
| 2001 | Lambda Literary Award (nominated) | Interior with Sudden Joy | — | Lambda Literary | nominated |
| 2001 | Norma Farber First Book Award (nominated) | Interior with Sudden Joy | — | Various (Norma Farber First Book Award) | nominated |
| — | Bunting Fellowship, Radcliffe Institute | — | — | Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University | fellowship |
| — | Japan/U.S. Friendship Commission Artist Fellowship | — | — | Japan/U.S. Friendship Commission | fellowship |
American Academy of Arts and Letters Literature Award
2018
Organization:
American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result:
winner
James Laughlin Award
2009
Work:
Human Dark with Sugar
Organization:
Academy of American Poets
Result:
winner
Library Journal Book of the Year (selection)
2012
Work:
Our Andromeda
Organization:
Library Journal
Result:
honor
The New York Times '100 Best Books' selection
2013
Work:
Our Andromeda
Organization:
The New York Times
Result:
honor
Griffin Poetry Prize (shortlisted)
2013
Work:
Our Andromeda
Organization:
Griffin Poetry Prize
Result:
shortlisted
PEN/Open Book Award (shortlisted)
2013
Work:
Our Andromeda
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
shortlisted
PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award for Poetry (nominated)
2001
Work:
Interior with Sudden Joy
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
nominated
Lambda Literary Award (nominated)
2001
Work:
Interior with Sudden Joy
Organization:
Lambda Literary
Result:
nominated
Norma Farber First Book Award (nominated)
2001
Work:
Interior with Sudden Joy
Organization:
Various (Norma Farber First Book Award)
Result:
nominated
Bunting Fellowship, Radcliffe Institute
Organization:
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
Result:
fellowship
Japan/U.S. Friendship Commission Artist Fellowship
Organization:
Japan/U.S. Friendship Commission
Result:
fellowship
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Interior with Sudden Joy
2000 Poetry collection 96 pagesA debut collection exploring intimacy, loss, and fractures in everyday life.
intimacylossmemory
Human Dark with Sugar
2008 Poetry collection 96 pagesA mature collection that interrogates self, body, and desire. Winner of the James Laughlin Award.
the bodydesireself-exploration
Our Andromeda
2012 Poetry collection 96 pagesA collection that weaves cosmic metaphor with personal memory. Selected as a Library Journal Book of the Year and listed among NYT's 100 Best Books.
cosmic metaphorfamilymemory
So Much Synth
2016 Poetry collection 80 pagesA book addressing memory and contemporary cultural nostalgia. Named one of the best poetry collections of 2016.
nostalgiaculturememory
The Octopus Museum
2019 Poetry collection 96 pagesA collection that examines relationships and loss through nature and estrangement.
natureestrangementloss
Tanya
2023 Poetry collection 112 pagesA recent collection filtering themes of love, absence, and loss through a philosophical lens.
loveabsencephilosophy
Bibliography
- Interior with Sudden Joy (2000)
- Human Dark with Sugar (2008)
- Our Andromeda (2012)
- So Much Synth (2016)
- The Octopus Museum (2019)
- Tanya (2023)
- Satellite Convulsions: Poems from Tin House (editor) (2008)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- conversational and forthright voicecondensed imagery with layered metaphorsblend of personal memory and universal motifs
- Recurring Motifs
- body and desirecosmic/nature metaphorsfamily and loss
Legacy
An Asian American poet with a distinctive contemporary voice, widely recognized by major reviews and papers. She has contributed to nurturing new poets through her university teaching.
Trivia
- Born on Okinawa Island in 1970 (during USCAR administration).
- Grew up in Southern California and studied at UC Santa Cruz.
- Earned an MFA at Columbia and teaches in the MFA program at Rutgers–Newark.
- Married to poet/editor Craig Morgan Teicher.