National Poetry Series
1 appearances
William Olsen
ウィリアム・オルセン
William Olsen
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Park Forest, Illinois → Kalamazoo, Michigan
Career
- Occupations
- Poet, Professor
- Active Years
- 1988-
- Affiliations
- Western Michigan University, Vermont College (MFA Program)
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Guggenheim Fellowship | — | — | John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation | 受賞 |
| — | Bread Loaf Fellowship | — | — | Bread Loaf Writers' Conference | 受賞 |
| — | National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship | — | — | National Endowment for the Arts | 受賞 |
| — | The Nation/Discovery Award | — | — | The Nation | 受賞 |
| — | Texas Institute of Arts Award | — | — | Texas Institute of Arts | 受賞 |
Guggenheim Fellowship
2005
Organization:
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result:
受賞
Bread Loaf Fellowship
Organization:
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
Result:
受賞
National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship
Organization:
National Endowment for the Arts
Result:
受賞
The Nation/Discovery Award
Organization:
The Nation
Result:
受賞
Texas Institute of Arts Award
Organization:
Texas Institute of Arts
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
TechnoRage
2017 PoetryA poetry collection addressing technology, contemporary life, and encounters with nature; notable for formal experimentation and vivid imagery.
technologynatureidentity
Sand Theory
2011 PoetryA collection of poems meditating on memory, landscape, and loss.
memorylandscapeloss
Avenue Of Vanishing
2007 PoetryAn imagistic collection depicting vanishing scenes and presences, characterized by formal precision and linguistic tension.
vanishinglandscapetime
Trouble Lights
2002 PoetryA collection exploring everyday unease and lights that illuminate darkness.
darknesseveryday lifelight
Vision of a Storm Cloud
1996 PoetryA volume of poems using storms and natural forces as motifs to intersect personal and universal perspectives.
stormsnatureintrospection
The Hand of God and a Few Bright Flowers
1988 PoetryAn early collection weaving religious imagery with attentive details of daily life.
religioneveryday lifeimagery
Infinity (poem)
2004 Poem (magazine)A poem published in a magazine addressing infinity and blurred boundaries.
infinityboundaries
Bibliography
- The Hand of God and a Few Bright Flowers (1988)
- Vision of a Storm Cloud (1996)
- Trouble Lights (2002)
- Avenue Of Vanishing (2007)
- Sand Theory (2011)
- TechnoRage (2017)
- Poem "Infinity" (Ploughshares, 2004)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Imagist-driven poetryCondensed language and formal experimentationClear metaphors with attention to sound
- Recurring Motifs
- Nature and weatherVanishing landscapesReligious and mythic imagery
Legacy
William Olsen is a significant contemporary American poet and educator who has mentored many poets through his university teaching. He has published multiple collections with mid-sized presses and is recognized for his imagistic style; he has also influenced the poetry community in Michigan.
Trivia
- Born in Omaha, Nebraska; raised in Park Forest, Illinois.
- Teaches at Western Michigan University and in the Vermont College MFA program.
- Received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005.
- Poems and essays have appeared in many literary journals (The Nation, The New Republic, Paris Review, etc.).