World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Phillip B. Williams

フィリップ・ビー・ウィリアムズ

Phillip B. Williams

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1986-01-01 （Chicago, Illinois, U.S.）
Nationality
American
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
Poet, Novelist, Instructor/Faculty
Active Years
2010-
Affiliations
Bennington College (faculty), Cave Canem Foundation (alumnus), Vinyl (co-editor-in-chief)

Education

Washington University in St. Louis
Graduate School / Creative Writing (MFA)
Degree: MFA
Country: United States
Attended as a Chancellor’s Graduate Fellow

Awards

Kate Tufts Discovery Award
2017
Work: Thief in the Interior
Category: 詩集
Organization: Tufts Poetry Awards / Kingsley & Kate Tufts Poetry Awards
Result: Winner
Lambda Literary Award (Gay Poetry)
2017
Work: Thief in the Interior
Category: ゲイ詩
Organization: Lambda Literary Foundation
Result: Winner
Whiting Award (Poetry)
2017
Category: 詩
Organization: Whiting Foundation
Result: Winner
American Book Award
2022
Work: MUTINY
Category: 詩集
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: Winner
PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry (Finalist)
2022
Work: MUTINY
Category: 詩
Organization: PEN America
Result: Finalist
Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry (Finalist)
2022
Work: MUTINY
Category: ゲイ詩
Organization: Publishing Triangle
Result: Finalist
PEN/Jean Stein Book Award (Longlisted)
2022
Work: MUTINY
Category: 詩/文学
Organization: PEN America
Result: Longlisted

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Thief in the Interior

2016 Poetry

A collection exploring interior pain, family memory, and identity; notable for its attention to the sound of language and line-level rhythm.

familylossidentity

MUTINY

2021 Poetry

A collection that addresses rebellion, desire, and the intersections of the political and the private; a series of poems where public and private voices collide.

rebelliondesireintersection of political and private

Ours

2024 Fiction / Novel

The author's debut novel, dealing with family, memory, and belonging (published by Viking Books in 2024).

familymemorybelonging

Bibliography

  • Thief in the Interior (Alice James Books, 2016)
  • Mutiny: Poems (Penguin, 2021)
  • Bruised Gospels (Arts in Bloom Inc., 2011) — chapbook
  • Burn (a chapbook in Frequencies, Volume One: A Chapbook and Music Anthology, YesYes Books, 2013)
  • Selected poems and pieces, e.g. "Final poem for my father misnamed in my mouth" (The New Yorker, 2021)
  • Ours (novel, Viking Books, 2024)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
meticulous attention to the linelyricism emphasizing sound and rhythmfusion of private narrative and social themes
Recurring Motifs
family memoryloss and renewalqueer embodiment and desire

Legacy

Recognized as a prominent voice in contemporary American poetry, influencing younger poets and queer literature; his awards have brought international attention and he is noted both for his craft and critical reception.

Academic Societies

  • Cave Canem Foundation (alumnus)

Quotes

  • His work has been praised for its "devout and excruciating attention to the line [whose] indispensable music fuses his implacable understanding of words with their own shadows."
    Source: The Boston Review (critique) (2015)

Trivia

  • Born in Chicago, Illinois.
  • Graduated with an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis as a Chancellor’s Graduate Fellow.
  • Won the 2017 Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the 2017 Lambda Literary Award (Gay Poetry) for Thief in the Interior.
  • Received a 2017 Whiting Award; won the 2022 American Book Award for MUTINY.