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Craig Santos Perez

クレイグ・サントス・ペレス

Craig Santos Perez

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1980-02-06 （Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Guam）
Nationality
Guamanian, American
Languages
English, Chamorro
Residence History
Guam (childhood–1995) → California, USA (moved 1995) → Hawaii (professional activity / residence)

Career

Occupations
poet, essayist, former university professor, publisher / editor (co-founder)
Active Years
2001-
Affiliations
Ala Press (co-founder), University of Hawaii (former faculty)
Influenced By
Chamorro oral traditions, Pacific Islander literatures and writers, scholarship on migration and colonialism
Influenced
younger Pacific Islander poets and writers, scholars and activists interested in reviving Chamorro literature

Education

University of Redlands
Creative Writing (undergraduate)
Degree: BA
Country: United States
University of San Francisco
Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
University of California, Berkeley
Comparative Ethnic Studies
Degree: MA, PhD
Country: United States

Awards

National Book Award (Poetry)
2023
Work: from unincorporated territory [åmot]
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: Winner
American Book Award
2015
Work: from unincorporated territory [guma'] (work)
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: Winner
PEN Center USA Literary Award (Poetry)
2011
Organization: PEN Center USA
Result: Winner
Los Angeles Times Book Prize
2011
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: Winner
Lannan Foundation Literary Fellowship (Poetry)
2016
Organization: Lannan Foundation
Result: Fellowship
Elliot Cades Award for Literature
2017
Organization: Elliot Cades
Result: Winner
MLA Prize in Native American Literature, Cultures, and Languages
2022
Organization: Modern Language Association (MLA)
Result: Winner
ACLS Mellon/Scholars and Society Fellow
2020
Organization: ACLS
Result: Fellow
Poets & Writers California Writers Exchange Award
2010
Organization: Poets & Writers
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

from unincorporated territory [åmot]

2023 Poetry

A collection addressing colonialism in the Pacific, migration, family histories, and the interweaving of Chamorro and English; it interrogates concepts of maps and territory.

colonialismmigrationlanguage and memoryisland life

Habitat Threshold

2020 Poetry

A poetic inquiry into environmental change, island ecologies, and the relationships between humans and climate crisis.

environmentclimate changeecology

from unincorporated territory [lukao]

2017 Poetry

One volume in the 'from unincorporated territory' series, creating poetic counter-maps through traces of island, land, and language.

territorialitylanguagememory

from unincorporated territory [guma']

2014 Poetry

A volume in the series exploring home, family, and place through poems.

familyplaceChamorro culture

from unincorporated territory [saina]

2010 Poetry

An early volume in the series containing poems about migration and island histories.

migrationhistorycolonialism

from unincorporated territory [hacha]

2008 Poetry

The originating volume of the series, weaving Chamorro language and landscapes into poetry.

languagelandscapeculture

Constellations gathered along the ecliptic

2007 Poetry

An early collection of short poems dealing with nature and personal fragments.

naturepersonal

Call This Mutiny: Uncollected Poems

2024 Poetry (uncollected poems)

A collection of previously uncollected poems covering various themes.

fragmentspoliticspersonal memory

Bibliography

  • Constellations gathered along the ecliptic (2007)
  • from unincorporated territory [hacha] (2008)
  • from unincorporated territory [saina] (2010)
  • from unincorporated territory [guma'] (2014)
  • from unincorporated territory [lukao] (2017)
  • Habitat Threshold (2020)
  • from unincorporated territory [åmot] (2023)
  • Call This Mutiny: Uncollected Poems (2024)

Adaptations

  • UPU (stage curation of Pacific Island writers' works; presented at Auckland Arts Festival 2020 and Kia Mau Festival 2021)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
primarily English poems interwoven with Chamorro elementsfragmentary, montage-like structuresblend of essayistic argument and poetic imagery
Recurring Motifs
oceanmigrationmaps of colonialismlanguagefamily memory

Legacy

Craig Santos Perez, a Chamorro poet, has articulated Pacific colonial histories and migration experiences in poetry, integrating Chamorro language fragments into English verse to make Pacific literatures visible and reconsidered. With multiple major literary awards, he is regarded as a leading voice in contemporary Pacific literature.

Archives

  • University of Hawaii archives (related materials)

In Popular Culture

  • Presentation of Pacific literature through the staged curation UPU

Quotes

  • "When my family migrated to California, and when I left my family to attend college, Chamorro became nearly non-existent in my life. Because poetry became a way for me to stay connected to memories of home, the Chamorro language started to reappear in small ways."
    Source: Interview (Coloradoreview, 2015) (2015)

Trivia

  • Co-founded Ala Press in 2011 to disseminate Pacific Island literatures and cultures.
  • His Lannan Foundation fellowship was noted in coverage highlighting a native Pacific Islander recipient.
  • Although he writes primarily in English, he incorporates Chamorro words and phrases into his poetry.