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Mei-mei Berssenbrugge

メイメイ・バーセンブルッヘ

Mei-mei Berssenbrugge

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1947-10-05 （Beiping (now Beijing), Republic of China）
Nationality
United States
Languages
English, Chinese (Mandarin)
Residence History
Near Boston, Massachusetts → Rural northern New Mexico → New York City (frequent visits/stays)

Career

Occupations
Poet, Teacher
Active Years
1971-
Affiliations
Institute of American Indian Arts (teacher), Conjunctions (contributing editorial board)
Influenced By
John Ashbery, Barbara Guest, James Schuyler, Anne Waldman, Charles Bernstein, Susan Bee, Kiki Smith, Richard Tuttle

Education

Reed College
Degree: B.A.
Period: 1966–1969
Year of Graduation: 1969
Country: United States
Transferred from Barnard College; earned B.A. in 1969
Columbia University
Degree: M.F.A.
Period: 1971–1973
Year of Graduation: 1973
Country: United States
Completed MFA program

Awards

National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
1976
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Result: 受賞
American Book Award
1980
Work: Random Possession
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation (American Book Award)
Result: 受賞
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship
1981
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Result: 受賞
American Book Award
1984
Work: The Heat Bird
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation (American Book Award)
Result: 受賞
National Endowment for the Arts Award
1990
Organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Result: 受賞
PEN West Award
1990
Work: Empathy
Organization: PEN West
Result: 受賞
Asian American Literary Award
1998
Work: Endocrinology
Organization: Asian American Literary Awards
Result: 受賞
Western States Book Award
1999
Work: Four Year Old Girl
Organization: Western States Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Asian American Literary Award
2004
Work: Nest
Organization: Asian American Literary Awards
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Fish Souls

1971 Poetry collection

Berssenbrugge's first published collection; a scarce, limited-edition volume.

origin and displacementnaturefragmentation

Summits Move with the Tide

1974 Poetry collection (includes a play)

An early collection of mostly short poems, including a play; contrasts with her later long-verse work.

personal experiencecultural identity
Adaptations
  • [Play/Theater] One, Two Cups (play included) / Frank Chin (1974)

Random Possession

1979 Poetry collection

A grouped collection of poems; won the 1980 American Book Award.

memorylanguage and perception

The Heat Bird

1983 Long-verse poetry

A book of long poems divided into numbered stanzas; awarded the American Book Award in 1984.

shifts of perspectiveintersection of the material and the mental

Empathy

1989 Poetry collection

Contains three numbered groups of poems; received the PEN West Award.

emotional exchangerelationships

Endocrinology

1997 Artists' book / Poetry

An artists' book created in collaboration with Kiki Smith; produced in limited editions.

embodimentcollaboration with visual art

Four Year Old Girl

1998 Poetry collection

Weaves everyday detail and poetic observation; awarded the Western States Book Award.

everyday lifegrowing up and memory

Nest

2003 Poetry collection

Explores domesticity and proximate relationships through poems and images; won an Asian American Literary Award.

homeintimacy

I Love Artists: New and Selected Poems

2006 Poetry (new and selected)

A new and selected volume collecting major works and new poems; offers an overview of her development.

dialogue with artlinguistic experimentation

Hello, the Roses

2013 Poetry collection

A mature collection marked by vivid visual imagery and introspective language.

visualityinner landscapes

A Treatise on Stars

2020 Poetry collection

A recent collection that weaves cosmic imagery with personal memory.

cosmos and the personalmemory

Bibliography

  • Fish Souls (1971)
  • Summits Move with the Tide (1974)
  • Random Possession (1979)
  • The Heat Bird (1983)
  • Hiddenness (1987, collaboration with Richard Tuttle)
  • Empathy (1989)
  • Mizu (1990)
  • Sphericity (1993, collaboration with Richard Tuttle)
  • Endocrinology (1997, collaboration with Kiki Smith)
  • Four Year Old Girl (1998)
  • Nest (2003)
  • Concordance (2006, collaboration with Kiki Smith)
  • I Love Artists: New and Selected Poems (2006)
  • Hello, the Roses (2013)
  • A Treatise on Stars (2020)

Adaptations

  • One, Two Cups (play included in Summits Move with the Tide, 1974)
  • Kindness (1994, commissioned by the Ford Foundation; staged)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
mix of philosophical meditation and personal experiencerapid movement between abstract language and concrete perceptionfragmentary, collage-like techniques
Recurring Motifs
cultural and linguistic displacementnature and landscapebody and visual representation

Legacy

Mei-mei Berssenbrugge occupies an important place in contemporary American poetry for her linguistic experimentation, collaborations with visual artists, and exploration of cultural identity. She has received numerous awards and influenced the intersection of poetry and visual art.

Archives

  • Yale Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library (Mei-mei Berssenbrugge Papers)

Quotes

  • My poems often contain subtle shifts of grammar and perspective, moving between abstraction and the concrete particulars of perception.
    Source: Jacket Magazine interview (excerpt) (2005)

Trivia

  • Married to artist Richard Tuttle and has frequently collaborated with him.
  • Collaborated on artists' books and projects with Kiki Smith and Richard Tuttle.
  • Her first collection Fish Souls was published in a limited edition of 100 copies and is scarce.
  • Grew up near Boston; completed an MFA at Columbia University and later settled in rural northern New Mexico.