National Poetry Series
1 appearances
Karen Swenson
カレン・スウェンソン
Karen Swenson
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1936-07-29 （New York City, U.S.）
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Chappaqua, New York → New York City
Career
- Occupations
- poet, journalist, educator (poet-in-residence)
- Active Years
- 1960-
- Affiliations
- Skidmore College (Poet-in-Residence), University of Idaho (Poet-in-Residence), University of Denver (Poet-in-Residence), Clark University (Poet-in-Residence), Scripps College (Poet-in-Residence), Barnard College (Poet-in-Residence), City College, New York (instructor)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnard College | — | — | — | — | United States |
| New York University | — | — | — | — | United States |
Barnard College
Country:
United States
Attended undergraduate studies (exact years unknown)
New York University
Country:
United States
Attended/studied (details unknown)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | National Poetry Series | The Landlady in Bangkok | — | National Poetry Series | 受賞 |
| — | Lannan Residency | — | — | Lannan Foundation | 受賞（レジデンシー） |
| — | Yaddo Residencies | — | — | Yaddo | 受賞（レジデンシー） |
National Poetry Series
1993
Work:
The Landlady in Bangkok
Organization:
National Poetry Series
Result:
受賞
Lannan Residency
Organization:
Lannan Foundation
Result:
受賞（レジデンシー）
Yaddo Residencies
Organization:
Yaddo
Result:
受賞（レジデンシー）
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
A daughter's latitude: new & selected poems
1999 PoetryA collection combining selected and new poems exploring personal memory, travel experiences, family and identity.
memoryfamilytravel
The landlady in Bangkok
1994 Poetry (including travel poems)Contains poems themed around Southeast Asia; won the National Poetry Series in 1993.
cross-cultural encounterstravelplace and memory
A sense of direction
1989 PoetryPoems concerned with direction and self-awareness, exploring travel and interior journeys.
self-explorationdirection
East-West: poems
1980 PoetryA collection addressing East-West contrasts and exchanges, depicting differing cultural perspectives.
cultural comparisoncontrast
An attic of ideals
1974 PoetryAn early collection blending personal themes with social observation.
individual and societymemory
Bibliography
- An attic of ideals (1974)
- East-West: poems (1980)
- A sense of direction (1989)
- The landlady in Bangkok (1994)
- A daughter's latitude: new & selected poems (1999)
- Short story "Roaches and Redheads" (in Travelers' Tales Thailand: True Stories, 2002)
- Editor (with Sarah M. Anderson): Cold counsel: women in Old Norse literature and mythology (2002)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- descriptive poetry with travel elementslyrical, image-rich expression
- Recurring Motifs
- travelcross-cultural encountersmemoryfemale perspectives
Legacy
Karen Swenson is an American poet and journalist known for poems about travel and cross-cultural themes. She won the National Poetry Series, held multiple residencies, and influenced younger writers through poet-in-residence and teaching roles.
Academic Societies
- Academy of American Poets (featured/associated)
Trivia
- Grew up in Chappaqua, New York.
- Work has appeared in The New York Times, The Paris Review, and The New Yorker.
- Won the National Poetry Series in 1993 for The Landlady in Bangkok.
- Has held residencies with the Lannan Foundation and Yaddo.