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C. S. Giscombe

シー・エス・ギスコーム

C. S. Giscombe

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1950-01-01 （Dayton, Ohio, United States）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Dayton, Ohio (birthplace) → Albany, New York (education) → Ithaca, New York (Cornell employment) → Syracuse, New York (employment) → Illinois (employment) → Pennsylvania (employment) → Berkeley, California (faculty)

Career

Occupations
poet, essayist, Professor of English
Active Years
1970-
Affiliations
Cornell University, Syracuse University, Illinois State University, Pennsylvania State University, University of California, Berkeley (Department of English)
Influenced By
interest in railroads and Midwestern landscapes, traditions of modern and contemporary American poetry

Education

SUNY at Albany
Country: United States
Details of degree year and major are not specified
Cornell University
Country: United States
Type and year of degree not specified

Awards

Carl Sandburg Award
1998
Work: Giscome Road
Organization: Carl Sandburg Award (organization)
Result: 受賞
American Book Award
2008
Work: Prairie Style
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: 受賞
Stephen Henderson Award
2010
Organization: Stephen Henderson Award (organization)
Result: 受賞
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Result: フェローシップ受領
Fund for Poetry grant
Organization: Fund for Poetry
Result: 助成
Fellowship from the Canadian Embassy to the United States
Organization: Canadian Embassy
Result: フェローシップ受領
New York Foundation for the Arts grant
Organization: New York Foundation for the Arts
Result: 助成
Illinois Arts Council grant
Organization: Illinois Arts Council
Result: 助成

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Postcards

1977 poetry

Early collection of poems that collects fragments about place and memory.

placememory

At Large

1989 poetry

A collection containing fragmentary, essay-like poems.

travelland

Here

1994 poetry

Poems exploring sense of place and personal memory.

placememoryidentity

Giscome Road

1998 poetry / long poem

Explores American geography and personal history through poetic prose focused on railroads, land, and movement.

railroadsmovementgeography

Two Sections from 'Practical Geography'

1999 poetry

Excerpted pieces from 'Practical Geography'.

geographytextual experiment

Into and Out of Dislocation

2001 poetry

A collection addressing themes of dislocation and dispersion.

dislocationidentity

Inland

2001 poetry

Poems focusing on inland landscapes and movement.

landscapemovement

Prairie Style

2008 poetry

A collection themed on Midwestern prairies and landscapes. Winner of the 2008 American Book Award.

Midwestlandscapememory

Ohio Railroads

2014 poetry / prose poetry

Collection themed on railroads and land in his native Ohio.

railroadsorigins

Border Towns

2016 poetry

Poems that include perspectives on borders and boundaries.

bordersmovement

Train Music

2021 poetry (with collaborator)

Coauthored with Judith Margolis; a series of pieces about railroads and movement.

railroadscollaboration

Similarly

2023 poetry

One of the recent collections of his poetry.

language experimentgeography

Negro Mountain

2023 poetry

Published in 2023; poems engaging with American history and memory.

historymemory

Bibliography

  • Postcards
  • At Large
  • Here
  • Giscome Road
  • Two Sections from 'Practical Geography'
  • Into and Out of Dislocation
  • Inland
  • Prairie Style
  • Ohio Railroads
  • Border Towns
  • Train Music
  • Similarly
  • Negro Mountain

Style & Themes

Literary Style
uses prose-like, experimental lines and fragmentsemphasis on geography and movement
Recurring Motifs
railroadslandscapesmovementmemoryborders

Legacy

C. S. Giscombe is regarded for his poetic reexaminations of American landscapes and memory through railroads and movement. Through long-term teaching and publishing activities he is considered an important figure in contemporary poetry and has received multiple awards and fellowships.

Quotes

  • the railroad is "not sentimental...continuous...intimately connected to features of land and water."
    Source: Interview (related to Prairie Style) (2008)

Trivia

  • He has worked as a taxi driver, a hospital orderly, and a railroad brakeman.
  • He was editor of Epoch magazine in the 1970s and 1980s.
  • He has acknowledged that a childhood fascination with trains strongly influenced his writing.