American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 43 (2022) Winner
Edwin Torres
エドウィン・トーレス
Edowin Toresu
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Born to parents from Puerto Rico; family settled in The Bronx, New York City
- Nationality
- Puerto Rico, United States
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Residence History
- The Bronx (New York City) → New York City → Puerto Rico (family origin)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Performance poet, Graphic designer
- Active Years
- 1989-
- Affiliations
- Nuyorican Poets Cafe, L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E (Language poets), Real Live Poetry
- Memberships
- L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E (Language poets), Real Live Poetry
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award | — | — | Foundation for Contemporary Arts | 受賞 |
| — | Fellowship (Foundation for Contemporary Performance Art) | — | — | Foundation for Contemporary Performance Art | フェローシップ |
| — | Fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts | — | — | New York Foundation for the Arts | フェローシップ |
| — | Fellowship from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council | — | — | Lower Manhattan Cultural Council | フェローシップ |
| — | Nuyorican Poets Cafe First Annual Prize for Poetry | Po-Mo Griot | — | Nuyorican Poets Cafe | 受賞 |
Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award
1995
Organization:
Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Result:
受賞
Fellowship (Foundation for Contemporary Performance Art)
Organization:
Foundation for Contemporary Performance Art
Result:
フェローシップ
Fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts
Organization:
New York Foundation for the Arts
Result:
フェローシップ
Fellowship from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
Organization:
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
Result:
フェローシップ
Nuyorican Poets Cafe First Annual Prize for Poetry
Work:
Po-Mo Griot
Organization:
Nuyorican Poets Cafe
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Ameriscopia
PoetryA collection combining urban culture, linguistic experimentation, and performance improvisation; incorporates vocal and physical improvisation.
urban lifelanguage experimentationimprovisationbilingualism
One Night: Poems for the Sleepy
PoetryA collection themed around sleep and the night; includes pieces intended for high-performance readings.
nightdreamsphysical expression
Yes Thing No Thing
PoetryPoems emphasizing wordplay, rhythm, and sound; contains works with strong acoustic elements for performance.
wordplayrhythmperformance
In the Function of External Circumstances
PoetryAn experimental collection exploring the relationship between external circumstances and the individual; includes pieces with theatrical qualities.
situational interactionexperimental poetry
The PoPedology of an Ambient Language
PoetryWorks that take ambient language and environmental sound as poetic subjects; focuses on intersections of language and sound.
ambient soundlanguage theory
Bibliography
- Ameriscopia
- One Night: Poems for the Sleepy
- Yes Thing No Thing
- In the Function of External Circumstances
- The PoPedology of an Ambient Language
- Please
- Onomalingua: noise songs and poetry
- The All-Union Day of the Shock Worker
- Fractured Humorous
- Lung Poetry (chapbook)
- I Hear Things People Haven't Really Said (chapbook)
- SandHomméNomadNo (chapbook)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- performance-oriented, improvisational poetrystyle emphasizing linguistic experimentation and vocal elementsexperimental poetics influenced by the L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E movement
- Recurring Motifs
- city and everyday lifevoice and bodybilingualism / juxtaposition of languagesimprovisation and musicality
Legacy
Edwin Torres is known within the Nuyorican movement and performance poetry contexts; through improvisational vocal and physical expression and experimental linguistic play, he influenced the U.S. underground poetry scene from the 1990s onward. He is recognized for popularizing theatrical approaches to poetry readings and expanding the boundaries between spoken-word and performance.
In Popular Culture
- Appeared on MTV's Spoken Word Unplugged
- Appeared on the Charlie Rose Show
- Featured in Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and New York Magazine
Trivia
- He created a movement he called "Interactive Eclectrcism", combining movement, audience participation, music and song in performances.
- Represented New York at the 1992 National Poetry Slam.
- "I Saw Your Empire State Building" was included in a chapter dealing with the NYC poetry slam community's response to 9/11.
- Won the Nuyorican Poets Cafe First Annual Prize for Poetry with the poem "Po-Mo Griot".
- Appeared on MTV, the Charlie Rose Show, featured in magazines and performed at venues such as the Guggenheim, Lincoln Center and MoMA.