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Liz Waldner

リズ・ウォルドナー

Rizu Warudona

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
poet, writer, lecturer
Active Years
1988-

Education

St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe)
philosophy and mathematics
Degree: B.A.
Country: United States
Reported to have received a B.A. in philosophy and mathematics at age 28.
Middlebury College Summer Language School
French summer language program
Country: United States
Attended summer language study in French.
Iowa Writers' Workshop (University of Iowa)
creative writing (MFA)
Degree: M.F.A.
Country: United States
Completed the MFA program at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Awards

Cleveland State University Poetry Center Open Competition
Work: Trust
Organization: Cleveland State University
Result: winner
Beatrice Hawley Award
2001
Work: Self and Simulacra
Organization: Alice James Books (publisher)
Result: winner
James Laughlin Award
2000
Work: A Point Is That Which Has No Part
Organization: Academy of American Poets
Result: winner
Contemporary Poetry Series (University of Georgia Press)
2002
Work: Dark Would (the missing person)
Organization: University of Georgia Press
Result: winner
Dorothea Tanning Award
2017
Organization: Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Result: recipient
Northern California Book Awards
2004
Organization: Poetry Flash (organizer)
Result: recipient
Poetry Society of America Robert M. Winner Memorial Award
Work: The Ballad of Barding Gaol
Organization: Poetry Society of America
Result: winner
Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Poetry
Organization: unknown
Result: grant

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Homing Devices

1997 poetry

An early collection exploring language, place, and the individual's positioning through experimental poems.

languageplaceidentity

A Point Is That Which Has No Part

2000 poetry

Combines mathematical and philosophical motifs with poetic fragments. Recipient of the James Laughlin Award.

mathematicsphilosophylanguage

Self and Simulacra

2001 poetry

Experimental poems examining images, the self, and representation. Winner of the Beatrice Hawley Award.

representationselfimage

Dark Would (the missing person)

2002 poetry

A long collection themed around 'the missing person.' Published in the University of Georgia Press Contemporary Poetry Series.

disappearancelossmemory

Play

2009 poetry

A collection from Lightful Press that includes linguistic play and experiments with sound.

linguistic playsoundexperimentation

Trust

2009 poetry

Published as the winner of the Cleveland State University Poetry Center open competition.

trustrelationshipsmemory

Her Faithfulness

2016 poetry

A recent collection dealing with faithfulness, fidelity, and the consequences of language.

faithfidelitylanguage

Bibliography

  • Homing Devices
  • A Point Is That Which Has No Part
  • Self and Simulacra
  • Dark Would (the missing person)
  • Etym(bi)ology
  • Saving the Appearances
  • Trust
  • Play
  • Little House, Big House (Now How I Am An American)
  • Her Faithfulness
  • Call (chapbook)
  • With the Tongues of Angels (chapbook)
  • Representation (chapbook)
  • Read Only Memory (chapbook)
  • Memo (la)mento (chapbook)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
experimental syntaxfragmentary/lyric-prose techniquesinterest in form and linguistic play
Recurring Motifs
language and meaningmissing persons/disappearanceplace and movement

Legacy

Liz Waldner is known for experimental and intellectual contributions to contemporary American poetry, has received multiple notable awards, and influenced younger poets through teaching and fellowships.

Trivia

  • Reportedly received a B.A. in philosophy and mathematics from St. John's College at age 28.
  • Her poems have appeared in major magazines such as The New Yorker and Poetry.