National Poetry Series
1 appearances
Charles Edwin (Ed) Roberson
チャールズ・エドウィン（エド）・ロバートソン
Charles Edwin Roberson
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1939-12-26 （Homewood, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Religion
- African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
- Residence History
- Homewood, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania → New Jersey (while at Rutgers University) → Chicago, Illinois
Career
- Occupations
- poet, teacher, writer
- Active Years
- 1960-2022
- Affiliations
- Rutgers University, University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, Columbia College Chicago, University of Chicago
- Memberships
- Explorers Club of Pittsburgh (expedition participation)
- Influenced By
- Langston Hughes, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Nathaniel Mackey (as selector), Visual arts / painting (influence from museum study)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Pittsburgh | College of Arts and Sciences (Chemistry) | Chemistry | B.A. / B.S.（理系学位） | 1959–1967 | United States |
| Goddard College | — | — | — | — | United States |
University of Pittsburgh
College of Arts and Sciences (Chemistry)
/ Chemistry
Degree:
B.A. / B.S.（理系学位）
Period:
1959–1967
Year of Graduation:
1967
Country:
United States
Studied chemistry; engaged in limnology and field research
Goddard College
Country:
United States
Completed graduate work; specific degree information uncertain
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Atlantic Monthly Grand Prize | I Must Be Careful | — | The Atlantic Monthly | winner |
| 1970 | Pitt Poetry Series selection | When Thy King is a Boy | — | University of Pittsburgh Press | selected |
| 1995 | Iowa Poetry Prize | Voices Cast Out to Talk Us In | — | University of Iowa Press | winner |
| 1998 | National Poetry Series selection | Atmosphere Conditions | — | National Poetry Series | selected |
| 1998 | Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers' Award | — | — | Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest | recipient |
| 2000 | Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize (finalist) | Atmosphere Conditions | — | Academy of American Poets | finalist |
| 2008 | Shelley Memorial Award | — | — | Poetry Society of America | recipient |
| 2016 | PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry | — | — | PEN America | recipient |
| 2017 | Academy of American Poets Fellowship | — | — | Academy of American Poets | recipient |
| 2020 | Jackson Poetry Prize | — | — | Poets & Writers | recipient |
| — | LA Times Book Award | — | — | Los Angeles Times | recipient |
| — | Stephen Henderson Critics Award for Achievement in Literature | — | — | — | recipient |
The Atlantic Monthly Grand Prize
1962
Work:
I Must Be Careful
Organization:
The Atlantic Monthly
Result:
winner
Pitt Poetry Series selection
1970
Work:
When Thy King is a Boy
Organization:
University of Pittsburgh Press
Result:
selected
Iowa Poetry Prize
1995
Work:
Voices Cast Out to Talk Us In
Organization:
University of Iowa Press
Result:
winner
National Poetry Series selection
1998
Work:
Atmosphere Conditions
Organization:
National Poetry Series
Result:
selected
Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writers' Award
1998
Organization:
Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest
Result:
recipient
Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize (finalist)
2000
Work:
Atmosphere Conditions
Organization:
Academy of American Poets
Result:
finalist
Shelley Memorial Award
2008
Organization:
Poetry Society of America
Result:
recipient
PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry
2016
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
recipient
Academy of American Poets Fellowship
2017
Organization:
Academy of American Poets
Result:
recipient
Jackson Poetry Prize
2020
Organization:
Poets & Writers
Result:
recipient
LA Times Book Award
Organization:
Los Angeles Times
Result:
recipient
Stephen Henderson Critics Award for Achievement in Literature
Result:
recipient
Awards & Nominations
Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 31 (2016) Winner
Jackson Poetry Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 14 (2020) Winner
Works
Major Works
When Thy King is a Boy
1970 PoetryEarly collection containing poems rooted in nature and personal experience.
naturecoming of agememory
Etai-eken
1975 PoetryCollection from the 1970s showing visual and musical elements in his poetry.
visual expressionlinguistic experiment
Voices Cast Out to Talk Us In
1995 PoetryA mature collection engaging voices, history, and culture.
historyvoiceculture
Atmosphere Conditions
2000 PoetryNotable work that merges scientific perspective with poetic language; known for complex diction and imagery.
naturesciencelanguage
City Eclogue
2006 PoetrySeries of poems treating urban space in an eclogue mode, exploring intersections of city and nature.
citylandscapecontrast
To See the Earth Before the End of the World
2010 PoetryRecent major work addressing light, color, history, and memory; employs a 'magic hour' temporal concept.
lightcolormemoryhistory
Closest Pronunciation
2013 PoetryCollection exploring sound and pronunciation within poetic language.
soundpronunciationlanguage
Asked What has Changed
2022 PoetryRecent collection reflecting on passage of time and change.
timechangereflection
Bibliography
- When Thy King is a Boy
- Etai-eken
- Voices Cast Out to Talk Us In
- Just In: Word of Navigational Challenges
- Atmosphere Conditions
- City Eclogue
- To See the Earth Before the End of the World
- Closest Pronunciation
- Asked What has Changed
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- visual-poetry elementsfragmentary and experimental dictionscientific and natural observation detail
- Recurring Motifs
- light and colornature (urban and wild)memory and historyvoice and auditory imagery
Health
-
cancer2002（治療および一時的リタイア）Battled cancer around 2002, briefly forced to retire; recovered and returned to writing and teaching.
Legacy
Ed Roberson made significant contributions to contemporary American poetry by integrating scientific perspective and visual art experience into his verse while exploring African American history, memory, and color. His long teaching career and numerous awards have influenced subsequent generations of poets.
Academic Societies
- Academy of American Poets
- Poetry Society of America
Trivia
- His poem "I Must Be Careful," published in The Atlantic Monthly, won the Grand Prize.
- Has a varied work history including time in Pittsburgh steel mills and as a tank diver at an aquarium.
- A 1970 cross-country motorcycle trip and extensive field research informed his attention to nature and travel in his poetry.
- Married to Rhonda Wiles; has a daughter, Lena Roberson.
- His father ran a garbage collection business that was later ruined by organized crime.