World Literary Awards

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Mark Doty

マーク・ドティ

Maaku Doti

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1953-08-10 （Maryville, Tennessee, U.S.）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
New York City, New York, U.S. (resides) → The Springs, East Hampton, New York, U.S. (resides)

Career

Occupations
poet, memoirist, essayist, university professor
Active Years
1987-
Affiliations
University of Houston (John & Rebecca Moores Professor; former), Rutgers University (Distinguished Professor and Writer-in-Residence), University of Iowa (teaching), Princeton University (teaching), Sarah Lawrence College (teaching), Columbia University (teaching), Cornell University (teaching), New York University (teaching)
Memberships
Academy of American Poets (Chancellor), Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry (trustee)
Influenced By
Philip Levine, Walt Whitman
Influenced
Younger contemporary American poets

Education

Drake University
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Country: United States
Goddard College
Creative Writing (MFA program)
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
Completed MFA in creative writing

Awards

National Poetry Series
1992
Work: My Alexandria
Organization: National Poetry Series
Result: Winner
National Book Critics Circle Award (Poetry)
1993
Work: My Alexandria
Category: 詩
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: Winner
Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Poetry)
1993
Work: My Alexandria
Category: 詩
Organization: Los Angeles Times
Result: Winner
Guggenheim Fellowship
1994
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: Fellowship
Whiting Award
1994
Organization: Whiting Foundation
Result: Winner
T. S. Eliot Prize
1995
Work: My Alexandria
Category: 詩
Organization: T. S. Eliot Prize (T.S. Eliot Prize committee)
Result: Winner
Lambda Literary Award (Gay Men's Poetry)
1995
Work: Atlantis
Category: 詩
Organization: Lambda Literary Foundation
Result: Winner
Ambassador Book Award (Poetry)
1996
Work: Atlantis
Category: 詩
Organization: Ambassador Book Award
Result: Winner
Bingham Poetry Prize
1996
Work: Atlantis
Category: 詩
Organization: Bingham Poetry Prize
Result: Winner
PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction
1997
Work: Heaven's Coast
Category: ノンフィクション
Organization: PEN America
Result: Winner
Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Writers' Award
1999
Organization: Wallace Foundation
Result: Winner
Lambda Literary Award (Gay Memoir/Biography)
2007
Work: Dog Years
Category: 回想録
Organization: Lambda Literary Foundation
Result: Winner
Stonewall Book Award
2008
Work: Dog Years
Organization: American Library Association (GLBTRT)
Result: Winner
National Book Award for Poetry
2008
Work: Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems
Category: 詩
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: Winner
Robert Creeley Award
2018
Organization: Robert Creeley Foundation
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

My Alexandria

1993 Poetry

A collection of poems reflecting grief, perception, and awareness in the face of loss; written during the illness of Doty's partner and exploring mourning and memory.

lossmemorymortality and life

Atlantis

1995 Poetry

A collection begun before and completed after the death of Doty's partner, addressing grief, memory, and the process of living on.

griefrecoverymemory

Heaven's Coast

1996 Memoir

A meditative memoir chronicling Doty's experience after his partner's AIDS diagnosis and death; an exploration of grief and mourning.

griefloveAIDS and society

Dog Years

2005 Memoir

A memoir reflecting on Doty's life, family, friends, and places; a New York Times bestseller that examines identity and memory.

familyidentitymemory

Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems

2008 Poetry

A volume of new and selected poems showcasing Doty's recurring themes and stylistic range across his career.

perceptionlossobservations of the everyday

Deep Lane

2015 Poetry

A book of poems that descends into the earth beneath the garden and the substrata of a life.

naturememoryintrospection

Bibliography

  • Turtle, Swan (1987)
  • Bethlehem in Broad Daylight (1991)
  • My Alexandria (1993)
  • Atlantis (1995)
  • Sweet Machine (1998)
  • Murano: Poem (2000)
  • Source (2001)
  • School of the Arts (2005)
  • Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems (2008)
  • Theories and Apparitions (2008)
  • Paragon Park (2012)
  • A Swarm, A Flock, A Host (2013)
  • Deep Lane (2015)
  • Heaven's Coast (1996)
  • Firebird: A Memoir (1999)
  • Dog Years (2005)
  • What is the Grass: Walt Whitman in My Life (2020)
  • Still Life with Oysters and Lemon (2001)
  • The Art of Description (2010)

Adaptations

  • Readings and recorded media (e.g., Poetry Heaven video series)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
lyrical and observational stylevisual description and attention to detail
Recurring Motifs
loss and mourningmemory and timeart and objects (still life)gay identity

Legacy

Doty's body of work, centered on personal loss and marked by vivid, delicate description, has had significant influence on contemporary American poetry. Winner of major awards (Lambda Literary, National Book Award, T. S. Eliot Prize), he is an important figure in LGBT literature.

Academic Societies

  • Academy of American Poets

In Popular Culture

  • Referenced within NYC LGBT culture and poetry communities

Trivia

  • He was the first American poet to win the T. S. Eliot Prize for My Alexandria.
  • Has taught at numerous prominent universities and directed Writers House at Rutgers.