Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Encyclopedia
Aimee Nezhukumatathil is an Asian American
poet, best known for her jovial and accessible reading style and lush descriptions of exotic foods and landscapes. Nezhukumatathil draws upon her Filipina
and Malayali
Indian background to give a unique perspective on love and loss, and the land.
She is author of three poetry collections, most recently, Lucky Fish (Tupelo Press 2011). At the Drive-In Volcano (Tupelo Press
, 2007), won the 2007 Balcones Poetry Prize. Her first collection, Miracle Fruit (Tupelo Press
, 2003), was the winner of the 2003 Tupelo Press Prize, and was named the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year in Poetry, won the Global Filipino Literary Award in Poetry, and was a finalist for the Asian American Literary Award and the Glasgow Prize. She was awarded a 2009 National Endowment for the Arts
Literature Fellowship in poetry, and her poem Love in the Orangery won a 2009 Pushcart Prize. Her poems and essays have appeared in New Voices: Contemporary Poetry from the United States, American Poetry Review, FIELD, Prairie Schooner, Black Warrior Review, Mid-American Review, and Tin House.
Nezhukumatathil received her M.F.A. from Ohio State University
, and is an associate professor of English at the State University of New York - Fredonia. She has also taught at the Kundiman retreat for Asian-American writers. In 2009, she was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in poetry.
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
poet, best known for her jovial and accessible reading style and lush descriptions of exotic foods and landscapes. Nezhukumatathil draws upon her Filipina
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
and Malayali
Malayali
Malayali is the term used to refer to the native speakers of Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
Indian background to give a unique perspective on love and loss, and the land.
She is author of three poetry collections, most recently, Lucky Fish (Tupelo Press 2011). At the Drive-In Volcano (Tupelo Press
Tupelo Press
Tupelo Press is an American not-for-profit literary press founded in 1999. It produced its first titles in 2001, publishing poetry, fiction and non-fiction...
, 2007), won the 2007 Balcones Poetry Prize. Her first collection, Miracle Fruit (Tupelo Press
Tupelo Press
Tupelo Press is an American not-for-profit literary press founded in 1999. It produced its first titles in 2001, publishing poetry, fiction and non-fiction...
, 2003), was the winner of the 2003 Tupelo Press Prize, and was named the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year in Poetry, won the Global Filipino Literary Award in Poetry, and was a finalist for the Asian American Literary Award and the Glasgow Prize. She was awarded a 2009 National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
Literature Fellowship in poetry, and her poem Love in the Orangery won a 2009 Pushcart Prize. Her poems and essays have appeared in New Voices: Contemporary Poetry from the United States, American Poetry Review, FIELD, Prairie Schooner, Black Warrior Review, Mid-American Review, and Tin House.
Nezhukumatathil received her M.F.A. from Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, and is an associate professor of English at the State University of New York - Fredonia. She has also taught at the Kundiman retreat for Asian-American writers. In 2009, she was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in poetry.
External links
- Audio: Aimee Nezhukumatathil Reading for 'From the Fishouse
- Audio: Slate > Aimee Nezhukumatathil Reading Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia > Jan. 20, 2004
- Review: Third Coast > Review by Review by J. Gabriel Scala of Miracle Fruit
- Review: New Pages Book Reviews
- Review: South Asian Women's Network
- Review: Our Own Voice > October 2004 > Review by Carlene Sobrino Bonnivier of Miracle Fruit
- Review: Luna: A Journal of Poetry and Translation > May 19, 2007 > Review by Rigoberto González of At the Drive-in Volcano