American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (1991) Winner
Deborah Keenan
デボラ・キーナン
Deborah Keenan
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- null （Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States）
- Died
- null
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Minneapolis (birthplace) → Saint Paul, Minnesota (residence/work)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Editor, Teacher
- Active Years
- 1981-
- Affiliations
- Hamline University, Milkweed Editions (editorial)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Bush Foundation Fellowship | — | — | Bush Foundation | Fellowship |
| — | National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | Fellowship |
| — | The Loft McKnight Poet of Distinction | — | — | The Loft Literary Center / McKnight Foundation | Award |
| 2006 | Edelstein Keller Minnesota Author of Distinction | — | — | University of Minnesota | Author of Distinction |
| 1991 | American Book Award | — | — | Before Columbus Foundation | Winner |
Bush Foundation Fellowship
Organization:
Bush Foundation
Result:
Fellowship
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
Fellowship
The Loft McKnight Poet of Distinction
Organization:
The Loft Literary Center / McKnight Foundation
Result:
Award
Edelstein Keller Minnesota Author of Distinction
2006
Organization:
University of Minnesota
Result:
Author of Distinction
American Book Award
1991
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
One Angel Then
1981 PoetryAn early collection of poems focusing on personal memories and everyday fragments.
memoryeveryday lifepersonal history
Household Wounds
1981 PoetryA collection dealing with emotional wounds and complexities within family and domestic life.
familywoundsemotion
The Only Window That Counts
1985 PoetryA poetry collection that reexamines meaning through everyday perspectives and observations.
observationperspectiveexistence
How We Missed Belgium
1984 Poetry (co-authored)Co-authored with Jim Moore; contains poetic vignettes mixing humor and pathos.
travelmissed opportunitieshumor
Happiness: poems
1995 PoetryA mid-career work exploring happiness and its surroundings poetically.
happinessinner lifeeveryday joys
Good heart
2003 PoetryA collection themed on compassion and the subtleties of human relationships.
compassionrelationshipsethics
Kingdoms
2006 PoetryA work questioning realms and boundaries, and relations between the individual and community.
boundariescommunityindividual
Willow Room, Green Door: New and Selected Poems
2007 Poetry (new and selected)A selected volume combining past and new works; provides an overview of her career.
retrospectcontinuitygrowth
Bibliography
- One Angel Then
- Household Wounds
- The Only Window That Counts
- How We Missed Belgium
- Happiness: poems
- Good heart
- Kingdoms
- Willow Room, Green Door: New and Selected Poems
- Looking For Home: Women Writing About Exile (editor)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- lyrical, observation-based concise stylenatural rhythm using everyday language
- Recurring Motifs
- domestic and everyday scenesmemory and fragments of the pastquiet ethical reflection
Legacy
A Minnesota-born poet who has had significant impact on regional literature. Active as an educator and editor and recipient of multiple honors.
Trivia
- She has taught at Hamline University.
- She has served as an editor for Milkweed Editions.
- Married to Stephen Seidel and has four children.
- Won the American Book Award in 1991.