National Poetry Series
1 appearances
Elizabeth Willis
エリザベス・ウィリス
Erizabesu Wirisu
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1961-04-28 （Bahrain）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Iowa City (near University of Iowa) → Buffalo, New York → New England region (resided)
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Professor, Literary critic
- Active Years
- 1985-
- Affiliations
- Iowa Writers' Workshop (University of Iowa), Wesleyan University (faculty), Brown University, Mills College, University of Denver
- Influenced By
- Lorine Niedecker, Susan Howe, Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics (influence)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire | — | Undergraduate (BA) | BA | 1979–1983 | United States |
| University at Buffalo | — | Poetics Program | MA, PhD | 1986–1993 | United States |
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
Undergraduate (BA)
Degree:
BA
Period:
1979–1983
Year of Graduation:
1983
Country:
United States
Received BA
University at Buffalo
Poetics Program
Degree:
MA, PhD
Period:
1986–1993
Year of Graduation:
1993
Country:
United States
Received MA and PhD (Poetics Program)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | National Poetry Series | The Human Abstract | — | National Poetry Series | 受賞 |
| — | Howard Foundation Fellowship | — | — | Howard Foundation | 受給 |
| — | PEN New England Award (L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award) | — | — | PEN New England | 受賞 |
| — | MacDowell Colony Residency | — | — | MacDowell Colony | 滞在 |
| 2012 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受給 |
| 2016 | Pulitzer Prize for Poetry | Alive: New and Selected Poems | — | Pulitzer Prize (Columbia University) | ファイナリスト |
| 2024 | National Book Award for Poetry (Longlist) | Liontaming in America | — | National Book Foundation | ロングリスト |
National Poetry Series
1994
Work:
The Human Abstract
Organization:
National Poetry Series
Result:
受賞
Howard Foundation Fellowship
Organization:
Howard Foundation
Result:
受給
PEN New England Award (L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award)
Organization:
PEN New England
Result:
受賞
MacDowell Colony Residency
Organization:
MacDowell Colony
Result:
滞在
Guggenheim Fellowship
2012
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受給
Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
2016
Work:
Alive: New and Selected Poems
Organization:
Pulitzer Prize (Columbia University)
Result:
ファイナリスト
National Book Award for Poetry (Longlist)
2024
Work:
Liontaming in America
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
ロングリスト
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Human Abstract
1995 Poetry collectionA collection blending personal and conceptual elements; selected for the National Poetry Series in 1994.
memoryprecision of languagerelationship between art and nature
Second Law
1993 Poetry collectionA collection noted for fragmented, precise linguistic structures that intersect scientific discourse and poetry.
science and languagefragmentationlyricism
Turneresque
2003 Experimental poetry / HybridA hybrid collection drawing on Romantic sublime and film noir among other elements, pushing limits of representation.
the sublimenoir atmospherevision and light
Meteoric Flowers
2006 Poetry collectionA collection rich in musicality and precision; received wide critical praise.
musicalitynature and artmovement of language
Address
2011 Poetry collectionA collection that is humorous, political and deeply resonant; notable for formal innovation and blend of tradition.
politicshumorreconsideration of form
Alive: New and Selected Poems
2015 Poetry collection (selected)A selected collection combining representative works and new poems, offering an overview of her range.
retrospectionvariety of styleslanguage experimentation
Liontaming in America
2024 Poetry collectionA recent collection longlisted for the National Book Award for Poetry.
American social allegorycultural metaphorslanguage and power
Bibliography
- Alive: New and Selected Poems (2015)
- Address (2011)
- Meteoric Flowers (2006)
- Turneresque (2003)
- The Human Abstract (1995)
- Second Law (1993)
- Radical Vernacular: Lorine Niedecker and the Politics of Place (criticism, 2006)
- Other poems and criticism (selected appearances)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- hybrid genres (genre-mixing)intense lyricismmusicality and linguistic precision
- Recurring Motifs
- relationship of art and natureintersection of public and private spacesreferences to antecedent poets
Legacy
A significant voice in contemporary English-language poetry; praised for combining formal experimentation with lyricism and influential as an educator.
Archives
- Electronic Poetry Center (some works and materials hosted)
- Archives related to the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Quotes
-
Elizabeth Willis is an exceptional poet, one of the most outstanding of her generation.
Source: Susan Howe (critique) (2006) -
Meteoric Flowers offers the reader a strange and at times almost overwhelmingly pleasurable world.
Source: Review in Jacket Magazine (2006)
Trivia
- Born in Bahrain in 1961 but raised in the American Midwest.
- Serves as Professor of Poetry at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
- Received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2012.
- Finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.