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Jeanne Marie Beaumont

ジーン・マリー・ボーモント

Jeanne Marie Beaumont

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
Suburban Philadelphia, USA
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
Suburban Philadelphia (grew up) → New York City (moved 1983)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Educator, Editor
Active Years
1990-
Affiliations
Rutgers University (faculty), 92nd Street Y (instructor/workshops), The Frost Place (Director, Advanced Seminar, 2006–2010), Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing (faculty)

Education

Eastern University
College (BA) / English / Literature
Degree: B.A.
Country: United States
Columbia University
School of the Arts (MFA) / Creative Writing
Degree: M.F.A.
Country: United States
MFA in Writing

Awards

National Poetry Series
1996
Work: Placebo Effects
Organization: National Poetry Series
Result: Winner (選出: William Matthews)
The Greensboro Review literary award (poetry)
2003
Organization: The Greensboro Review
Result: Winner
Dana Award (poetry)
2009
Organization: Dana Awards
Result: Winner
Writer's League of Texas Book Award (finalist)
2011
Organization: Writer's League of Texas
Result: Finalist

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Placebo Effects

1999 Poetry collection

One of her early major collections, containing poems that probe disjunctions between everyday life and inner experience.

selfmemoryeveryday dissonance

Curious Conduct

2004 Poetry collection

A collection featuring observational poems and wry, fragmented pieces.

observationwithuman relationships

Burning of the Three Fires

2010 Poetry collection

Expands her poetic world with symbolic imagery addressing loss and renewal.

lossrenewalsymbolism

Letters from Limbo

2016 Poetry collection

A collection about liminal spaces where personal memory intersects with public events.

liminalitymemoryprivate and public

Lessons with Scissors

2024 Poetry collection

A recent collection focused on short, image-driven poems that showcase craft and fragmentation.

craftfragmentationobservations of everyday life

Asylum Song

2019 Verse play

A verse-form stage work that premiered at HERE Arts in NYC in spring 2019.

mindisolationvoice

Bibliography

  • Placebo Effects (1999)
  • Curious Conduct (2004)
  • Burning of the Three Fires (2010)
  • Letters from Limbo (2016)
  • Lessons with Scissors (2024)
  • The Poets' Grimm: 20th century poems from Grimm fairy tales (ed., 2003)
  • Elliptical poets: new school or new spin? and much more (ed., 1999)

Adaptations

  • Short film based on the poem "Afraid So" (director: Jay Rosenblatt; narrated by Garrison Keillor; 2006)
  • Verse play "Asylum Song" (premiered at HERE Arts, NYC, 2019)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
clear, precise imageryfragmentary and conversational linesobservational voice with wit and irony
Recurring Motifs
memoryloss and renewaldomestic/everyday scenesdisjunctions of voice

Legacy

Recognized as an important contemporary American poet, Beaumont is respected for her collections, verse play, and editorial work. Her poems have appeared widely in journals and anthologies, and adaptations and readings have extended her influence into popular culture.

In Popular Culture

  • A short film based on the poem "Afraid So" was screened at international film festivals and included in a MoMA program.

Trivia

  • A short film based on the poem "Afraid So" was made in 2006 and narrated by Garrison Keillor.
  • Co-edited American Letters & Commentary from 1992 to 2000.
  • Served as Director of The Frost Place Advanced Seminar from 2006 to 2010.
  • Has taught at Rutgers University and the 92nd Street Y.