National Poetry Series
1 appearances
John Yau
ジョン・ヤウ
John Yau
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- 1950-06-05 （Lynn, Massachusetts, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Lynn, Massachusetts → New York City, New York
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Critic, Editor, Professor, Small press publisher
- Active Years
- 1972-
- Affiliations
- Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University (faculty), Black Square Editions (small press, operator)
- Influenced By
- Robert Kelly, Robert Bly, Denise Levertov, Galway Kinnell, John Ashbery
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bard College | — | — | B.A. | 1968–1972 | United States |
| Brooklyn College | — | — | M.F.A. | 1976–1978 | United States |
Bard College
Degree:
B.A.
Period:
1968–1972
Year of Graduation:
1972
Country:
United States
Brooklyn College
Degree:
M.F.A.
Period:
1976–1978
Year of Graduation:
1978
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Lavan Award | — | — | Academy of American Poets | 受賞 |
| — | Jerome Shestack Award | — | — | The American Poetry Review | 受賞 |
| — | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 授与 |
| 2002 | Grants to Artists (Foundation for Contemporary Arts) | — | — | Foundation for Contemporary Arts | 助成 |
| 2018 | Jackson Poetry Prize | — | — | Jackson Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2024 | American Book Award | Please Wait by the Coatroom: Reconsidering Race and Identity in American Art | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| — | New York Foundation for the Arts grant | — | — | New York Foundation for the Arts | 助成 |
| — | National Endowment for the Arts grant | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 助成 |
Lavan Award
Organization:
Academy of American Poets
Result:
受賞
Jerome Shestack Award
Organization:
The American Poetry Review
Result:
受賞
Guggenheim Fellowship
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
授与
Grants to Artists (Foundation for Contemporary Arts)
2002
Organization:
Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Result:
助成
Jackson Poetry Prize
2018
Organization:
Jackson Foundation
Result:
受賞
American Book Award
2024
Work:
Please Wait by the Coatroom: Reconsidering Race and Identity in American Art
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
New York Foundation for the Arts grant
Organization:
New York Foundation for the Arts
Result:
助成
National Endowment for the Arts grant
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
助成
Awards & Nominations
Jackson Poetry Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 12 (2018) Winner
American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 45 (2024) Winner
Works
Major Works
Corpse and Mirror
1983 PoetryA collection of poems featuring early experimental and image-driven work.
ImagerySelf and otherArtistry
Paradiso Diaspora
2006 PoetryA poetry collection addressing immigration, diaspora, and cultural hybridity, weaving criticism with personal experience.
DiasporaIdentityCross-cultural tensions
Please Wait by the Coatroom: Reconsidering Race and Identity in American Art
2023 Essays / CriticismAn essay collection reconsidering race and identity in American art, combining artwork analysis with cultural critique.
RaceIdentityArt criticism
Genghis Chan on Drums
2021 PoetryA recent poetry collection containing experimental language play and historical/cultural references.
HistoricityCultural referenceLinguistic experimentation
Bibliography
- Corpse and Mirror (1983)
- Radiant Silhouette: Selected Writing 1974–1988 (1989)
- Edificio Sayonara (1992)
- In the Realm of Appearances: The Art of Andy Warhol (1993)
- Berlin Diptychon (1995)
- Forbidden Entries (1996)
- The United States of Jasper Johns (1996)
- Fetish (editor, 1998)
- Borrowed Love Poems (2002)
- Ing Grish (2005)
- Paradiso Diaspora (2006)
- A Thing Among Things: The Art of Jasper Johns (2008)
- Exhibits (2010)
- Further Adventures in Monochrome (2012)
- Bijoux in the Dark (2018)
- Genghis Chan on Drums (2021)
- Please Wait by the Coatroom (2023)
- Tell It Slant (2023)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Experimental, image-driven poetryHybrid of critical essays and poetryStyle foregrounding dialogue with visual art
- Recurring Motifs
- Identity and immigrant experienceIntersection of art and poetryMemory and history
Legacy
John Yau is recognized both as a poet and an art critic, known for work that crosses the boundaries between art and poetry. His writings on Asian-American experience and the intersection of art and literature are referenced in academic and art circles.
Quotes
-
They were between two cultures or in one that collapsed together different beliefs. That's what I am trying to call attention to.
Source: Ocula Magazine (interview) (2021)
Trivia
- His parents emigrated from China to Boston in 1949.
- He runs a small press called Black Square Editions.
- Served as arts editor of The Brooklyn Rail (2007–2011).
- Recipient of the Jackson Poetry Prize (2018) and American Book Award (2024).