National Poetry Series
1 appearances
Cyrus Cassells
サイラス・カセルス
Sairasu Kaserusu
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1957-01-01 （Dover, Delaware）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles (grew up) → Austin, Texas (residence)
Career
- Occupations
- poet, professor, translator, film critic, actor, teacher
- Active Years
- 1981-
- Affiliations
- Texas State University (MFA faculty)
- Influenced By
- Al Young
- Nominations
- 1994 Pulitzer Prize (Poetry) nominee: Soul Make a Path Through Shouting, 2019 Pulitzer Prize (Criticism) nomination: cultural reviews in The Washington Spectator
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford University | Film and Broadcasting | Film and Broadcasting | 学士 | 1975–1979 | United States |
Stanford University
Film and Broadcasting
/ Film and Broadcasting
Degree:
学士
Period:
1975–1979
Year of Graduation:
1979
Country:
United States
Graduated in 1979 with a degree in film and broadcasting
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jackson Poetry Prize | — | — | Poets & Writers | winner |
| 1995 | Pushcart Prize | Sung from a Hospice | — | Pushcart Press | winner |
| 1997 | Lambda Literary Award | Beautiful Signor | — | Lambda Literary | winner |
| 1994 | William Carlos Williams Award | Soul Make a Path Through Shouting | — | Poets & Writers / Poetry Society (award administered) | winner |
| 1981 | National Poetry Series Prize | The Mud Actor | — | National Poetry Series | winner |
| 2019 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | fellowship |
| 2005 | NEA Literature Fellowship in Poetry | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | fellowship |
| 2021 | Poet Laureate of Texas | — | — | State of Texas | appointed |
| 2006 | Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellowship | — | — | Rockefeller Foundation | fellowship |
Jackson Poetry Prize
2025
Organization:
Poets & Writers
Result:
winner
Pushcart Prize
1995
Work:
Sung from a Hospice
Organization:
Pushcart Press
Result:
winner
Lambda Literary Award
1997
Work:
Beautiful Signor
Organization:
Lambda Literary
Result:
winner
William Carlos Williams Award
1994
Work:
Soul Make a Path Through Shouting
Organization:
Poets & Writers / Poetry Society (award administered)
Result:
winner
National Poetry Series Prize
1981
Work:
The Mud Actor
Organization:
National Poetry Series
Result:
winner
Guggenheim Fellowship
2019
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
fellowship
NEA Literature Fellowship in Poetry
2005
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
fellowship
Poet Laureate of Texas
2021
Organization:
State of Texas
Result:
appointed
Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Fellowship
2006
Organization:
Rockefeller Foundation
Result:
fellowship
Awards & Nominations
Lannan Literary Awards
8 appearances
Works
Major Works
The Mud Actor
1982 PoetryEarly collection featuring experimental, corporeal imagery.
identityphysicalityexperimental imagery
Soul Make a Path Through Shouting
1994 PoetryA sequence of poems addressing history, family, and memory; considered one of his notable works.
memoryfamilyhistory
Beautiful Signor
1997 PoetryPoems that blend personal narrative with historic themes. Recipient of the Lambda Literary Award.
sexual identitymemoryhistory
More Than Peace and Cypresses
2004 PoetryA mature collection that received critical acclaim and year-end honors.
lossrecoveryhistory
The Crossed-Out Swastika
2012 PoetryA collection dealing with historical violence and memory; finalist for the Balcones Prize.
violencehistorymemory
The Gospel according to Wild Indigo
2018 PoetryA collection intersecting religious imagery and personal memory; shortlisted for several awards.
religionmemoryredemption
The World That the Shooter Left Us
2022 PoetryA recent collection addressing social violence and its aftermath.
violencesocietymemory
Is There Room for Another Horse on Your Horse Ranch?
2024 PoetryA recent book that garnered critical attention and was named a Best New Poetry Book by NYPL.
naturememorypersonal history
Bibliography
- The Mud Actor (1982)
- Soul Make a Path Through Shouting (1994)
- Beautiful Signor (1997)
- More Than Peace and Cypresses (2004)
- The Crossed-Out Swastika (2012)
- The Gospel according to Wild Indigo (2018)
- The World That the Shooter Left Us (2022)
- Is There Room for Another Horse on Your Horse Ranch? (2024)
- Translator: Still Life with Children: Selected Poems of Francesc Parcerisas (2019)
- Translator/Editor: To The Cypress Again and Again: Tribute to Salvador Espriu (2023)
Translations by Author
- Still Life with Children: Selected Poems of Francesc Parcerisas (translator, 2019)
- To The Cypress Again and Again: Tribute to Salvador Espriu (translator/editor, 2023)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- narrative, witness poetrylyrical style emphasizing metaphor and soundinterweaving history and personal memory
- Recurring Motifs
- memoryhistorical violencereligious imagerymusicalityidentity (notably queer identity)
Legacy
Cyrus Cassells is known for his witness poetry that probes history and personal memory. As a university professor and translator he has mentored younger writers; his numerous fellowships and awards mark him as an important voice in contemporary American poetry.
Academic Societies
- Academy of American Poets (associated)
- Lannan Foundation (associated)
Quotes
-
He has been described as "a poet of witness."
Source: Poets & Writers / Texas State University profile (2010)
Trivia
- He is openly gay.
- Has taught poetry in the MFA program at Texas State University since 1998.
- Has translated poems by Francesc Parcerisas and worked as a translator of Catalan poetry.