National Poetry Series
1 appearances
Douglas Kearney
ダグラス・カーニー
Dagurasu Kānī
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1974 （Altadena, California, United States）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Altadena, California (origin) → Minneapolis, Minnesota (residence/work)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Performer, Writer, Librettist, Professor
- Active Years
- 2000-2025
- Affiliations
- University of Minnesota (faculty), California Institute of the Arts (past affiliation), Howard University (alumnus)
- Nominations
- Hurston/Wright Legacy Award nominee
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Howard University | — | — | B.A. | — | United States |
| California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) | — | MFA program | M.F.A. | — | United States |
Howard University
Degree:
B.A.
Country:
United States
Undergraduate studies completed (year unknown)
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
MFA program
Degree:
M.F.A.
Year of Graduation:
2004
Country:
United States
Received MFA in 2004
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Coat Hanger Award | Swimchant for Nigger Mer-folk | — | — | Winner |
| 2008 | Whiting Award | Self | — | Whiting Foundation | Winner |
| 2014 | California Book Awards (Poetry) | Patter | Poetry | Commonwealth Club | Winner |
| 2017 | California Book Awards (Poetry) | Buck Studies | Poetry | Commonwealth Club | Silver |
| 2017 | CLMP Firecracker Award (Poetry) | Buck Studies | Poetry | Community of Literary Magazines and Presses | Winner |
| — | Roethke Memorial Poetry Prize | — | — | Unknown | Winner |
| 2021 | Campbell Opera Librettist Prize | — | — | Opera America | Winner |
| 2021 | National Book Award (Poetry) | Sho | Poetry | National Book Foundation | Finalist |
| 2022 | Griffin Poetry Prize (International) | Optic Subwoof | — | Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry | Winner |
| 2023 | CLMP Firecracker Award (Creative Nonfiction) | Optic Subwoof | Creative Nonfiction | Community of Literary Magazines and Presses | Winner |
| 2023 | Poetry Foundation Pegasus Award (Poetry Criticism) | — | Criticism | Poetry Foundation | Winner |
| 2025 | Pulitzer Prize (Music) | The Comet (libretto) | Music (libretto collaboration) | Pulitzer Prizes | Finalist |
Coat Hanger Award
2006
Work:
Swimchant for Nigger Mer-folk
Result:
Winner
Whiting Award
2008
Work:
Self
Organization:
Whiting Foundation
Result:
Winner
California Book Awards (Poetry)
2014
Work:
Patter
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
Commonwealth Club
Result:
Winner
California Book Awards (Poetry)
2017
Work:
Buck Studies
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
Commonwealth Club
Result:
Silver
CLMP Firecracker Award (Poetry)
2017
Work:
Buck Studies
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
Community of Literary Magazines and Presses
Result:
Winner
Roethke Memorial Poetry Prize
Organization:
Unknown
Result:
Winner
Campbell Opera Librettist Prize
2021
Organization:
Opera America
Result:
Winner
National Book Award (Poetry)
2021
Work:
Sho
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
Finalist
Griffin Poetry Prize (International)
2022
Work:
Optic Subwoof
Organization:
Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
Result:
Winner
CLMP Firecracker Award (Creative Nonfiction)
2023
Work:
Optic Subwoof
Category:
Creative Nonfiction
Organization:
Community of Literary Magazines and Presses
Result:
Winner
Poetry Foundation Pegasus Award (Poetry Criticism)
2023
Category:
Criticism
Organization:
Poetry Foundation
Result:
Winner
Pulitzer Prize (Music)
2025
Work:
The Comet (libretto)
Category:
Music (libretto collaboration)
Organization:
Pulitzer Prizes
Result:
Finalist
Awards & Nominations
Whiting Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 24 (2008) Winner
Griffin Poetry Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 22 (2022) Winner
Works
Major Works
FEAR, SOME
2006 PoetryAn early collection featuring experimental language play and explorations of voice.
IdentityVoice and performance
The Black Automaton
2009 PoetryPoems interrogating machinery and embodiment, exploring intersections of technology and Blackness.
TechnologyEmbodimentBlack experience
PATTER
2014 PoetryAn experimental collection emphasizing linguistic rhythm and vernacular; received critical recognition.
RhythmLanguage experimentation
Mess and Mess and
2015 PoetryA fragmented, disruptive set of poems characterized by deconstruction and reassembly of form.
FragmentationReconstruction
Someone Took They Tongues
2016 PoetryA collection that questions ownership of language and voice, intersecting politics and bodily expression.
Ownership of languagePolitics
Buck Studies
2016 PoetryLong-form and fragmentary poems that intersect history and personal memory.
MemoryHistory
Sho
2021 PoetryA book moving across diverse forms; was a finalist for the National Book Award.
Formal experimentationCultural reference
Optic Subwoof
2022 Poetry / creative nonfiction elementsA work that crosses poetic experiment and critical essay; winner of major prizes including the Griffin.
VisualityMedia criticism
I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always
2025 PoetryA recent work (2025) exploring futurity and science-fictional imagination poetically.
FuturityScience fiction imagination
Bibliography
- FEAR, SOME
- The Black Automaton
- PATTER
- Mess and Mess and
- Someone Took They Tongues
- Buck Studies
- Sho
- Optic Subwoof
- I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always
Adaptations
- Crescent City (opera; libretto collaboration with Anne LeBaron)
- The Comet (music by George Lewis; libretto by Douglas Kearney; 2025 Pulitzer finalist)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Experimental poeticsEmphasis on oral/performative voiceDeconstruction and reassembly of form
- Recurring Motifs
- BlacknessMusicality (rhythm, sound)Body and technologyMemory and history
Legacy
A contemporary poet who expands the boundaries between poetry and performance. Through prize-winning collections and libretto work for opera, he is highly regarded at the intersection of literature and music.
Academic Societies
- Poetry Society of America (named Notable New American Poet)
Trivia
- Not only a poet but also writes libretti for opera.
- Recipient of fellowships including Cave Canem.
- Serves as an associate professor at the University of Minnesota (at time of record).