PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award
1 appearances
-
Edition 19 (2009) Winner
Doren Robbins
ドーレン・ロビンス
Doren Robbins
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1949-08-20 （Los Angeles, California）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- Judaism
- Residence History
- California → Oregon
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Prose poet, Fiction writer, Essayist, Mixed media artist, Educator
- Active Years
- 1976-2024
- Affiliations
- Foothill College, UCLA, East Los Angeles Community College, California State University Dominguez Hills
- Influenced By
- Kenneth Rexroth, Dylan Thomas, Henry Miller, Pablo Neruda
- Influenced
- None specified
- Nominations
- Pushcart Prize Nominations (multiple), National Poetry Series Finalist
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Institute | — | — | BA | — | United States |
| University of Iowa | — | Creative Writing | MFA | — | United States |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania | — | Literature | — | 1994-1996 | United States |
Union Institute
Degree:
BA
Year of Graduation:
1990
Country:
United States
University of Iowa
Creative Writing
Degree:
MFA
Year of Graduation:
1993
Country:
United States
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Literature
Period:
1994-1996
Country:
United States
Two years post-graduate studies in literature, multiculturalism, and criticism
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry | Driving Face Down | Poetry | Eastern Washington University Press | Winner |
| 2008 | Josephine Miles PEN Oakland Award in Poetry | My Piece of the Puzzle | Poetry | PEN Oakland | Winner |
Blue Lynx Prize for Poetry
2001
Work:
Driving Face Down
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
Eastern Washington University Press
Result:
Winner
Josephine Miles PEN Oakland Award in Poetry
2008
Work:
My Piece of the Puzzle
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
PEN Oakland
Result:
Winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
My Piece of the Puzzle
2008 PoetryA collection of poems exploring working-class life, political themes, and personal reflections.
Working-class lifePoliticsFamily
Driving Face Down
2001 PoetryPoetry collection awarded the Blue Lynx Prize.
Social justicePersonal struggle
Parking Lot Mood Swing: Autobiographical Monologues and Prose Poetry
2004 Prose Poetry and MonologuesCollection of autobiographical monologues and prose poetry.
Daily strugglesMarried life
Bibliography
- My Piece of the Puzzle
- Driving Face Down
- The Donkey's Tale
- Double Muse
- Dignity in Naples and North Hollywood
- Sympathetic Manifesto
- Seduction of the Groom
- Parking Lot Mood Swing
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Free verseProse poetryRhythmic narrative
- Recurring Motifs
- Working-class themesPolitical dissentMarital and family complexities
Legacy
Contemporary American poet known for depicting working-class realities and political awareness in poetry. Also active as an educator.
Quotes
-
Art supposedly gives us aesthetic distance. Knowing the limited capacity of art to redeem anybody's suffering, Robbins' poems provide no such obvious safety net. On the other hand, the voice in his poems, with its impeccable contralto of hope and revulsion, reminds us not to accept any limits other than our own resilient skepticism.
Source: Bill Mohr (2004)
Trivia
- Jewish American poet
- Co-founder of Third Rail literary journal