Alice Notley
Encyclopedia
Alice Notley is an American poet
. She was born in Bisbee, Arizona
and grew up in Needles, California
. She received a B.A.
from Barnard College
in 1967 and an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop
at the University of Iowa
in 1969. She married poet Ted Berrigan
in 1972, with whom she was active in the Chicago
poetry scene and with whom she had two sons. In the early 70s she became rooted in New York
's Lower East Side
, where she was an important force from 1976 through 1992. After Berrigan died in 1983, Notley raised their two sons in New York's East Village
by herself for several years while continuing to develop her poetry. In 1992 she moved to Paris
with her second husband, the British poet Douglas Oliver
(1937–2000). She lives in Paris currently, making several trips to the United States each year to give readings and teach writing classes.
Notley has earned a reputation as one of the most challenging and engaging poets at work today. Fiercely independent, she has never tried to be anything other than a poet, and all of her ancillary activities have been directed to that end. She is the author of over twenty books of poetry, and also the author of a book of essays on poets and poetry, Coming After.
Alice Notley was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
, and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry. In the spring of 2001, she received an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Poetry Society of America
's Shelley Memorial Award
. She edited and wrote a new introduction to her late husband Ted Berrigan's The Sonnets (Penguin, 2000). Recently, Notley edited The Collected Poems of Ted Berrigan (UC, 2005) with her sons, the poets Anselm Berrigan
and Edmund Berrigan.
On October 3, 2007, The Academy of American Poets
announced its selection of Notley's Grave of Light: New and Selected Poems 1970 - 2005 for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize. In 1997, she was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Grants to Artists Award.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
. She was born in Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, 82 miles southeast of Tucson. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 6,177...
and grew up in Needles, California
Needles, California
Needles is a city located in the Mojave Desert on the western banks of the Colorado River in San Bernardino County, California. It is located in the Mohave Valley, which straddles the California–Arizona border. The city is accessible via Interstate 40 and U.S. Route 95...
. She received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
in 1967 and an M.F.A. from the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in 1969. She married poet Ted Berrigan
Ted Berrigan
-Early life:Berrigan was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 15, 1934. After high school, he spent a year at Providence College before joining the U.S. Army in 1954 to serve in the Korean War. After three years in the Army, he finished his college studies at the University of Tulsa in...
in 1972, with whom she was active in the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
poetry scene and with whom she had two sons. In the early 70s she became rooted in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
, where she was an important force from 1976 through 1992. After Berrigan died in 1983, Notley raised their two sons in New York's East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
by herself for several years while continuing to develop her poetry. In 1992 she moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
with her second husband, the British poet Douglas Oliver
Douglas Oliver
Douglas Dunlop Oliver was a poet, novelist, editor, and educator. The author of more than a dozen works, Oliver came into poetry not as an academic but through a career in journalism, notably in Cambridge, Paris, and Coventry, before attending the University of Essex in the 1970s. He received a...
(1937–2000). She lives in Paris currently, making several trips to the United States each year to give readings and teach writing classes.
Notley has earned a reputation as one of the most challenging and engaging poets at work today. Fiercely independent, she has never tried to be anything other than a poet, and all of her ancillary activities have been directed to that end. She is the author of over twenty books of poetry, and also the author of a book of essays on poets and poetry, Coming After.
Alice Notley was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
, and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry. In the spring of 2001, she received an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Poetry Society of America
Poetry Society of America
The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists including Witter Bynner. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the have included such renowned writers as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Edna St. Vincent...
's Shelley Memorial Award
Shelley Memorial Award
The Shelley Memorial Award of more than $3,500, given out by the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of the late Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need. The selection is...
. She edited and wrote a new introduction to her late husband Ted Berrigan's The Sonnets (Penguin, 2000). Recently, Notley edited The Collected Poems of Ted Berrigan (UC, 2005) with her sons, the poets Anselm Berrigan
Anselm Berrigan
Anselm Berrigan is a poet and teacher. He grew up in New York City, where he currently resides with his wife, poet Karen Weiser. From 2003 to 2007, he served as artistic director at the St. Mark's Poetry Project...
and Edmund Berrigan.
On October 3, 2007, The Academy of American Poets
Academy of American Poets
The Academy of American Poets is a non-profit organization dedicated to the art of poetry. The Academy was incorporated as a "membership corporation" in New York State in 1934...
announced its selection of Notley's Grave of Light: New and Selected Poems 1970 - 2005 for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize. In 1997, she was awarded a grant from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Foundation for Contemporary Arts
Foundation for Contemporary Arts , originally known as Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City founded by artists Jasper Johns , John Cage, Elaine de Kooning and others in 1963. FCA offers financial support and recognition to contemporary...
Grants to Artists Award.
External links
- Griffin Poetry Prize biography
- Griffin Poetry Prize reading, including video clip
- Interview by Douglas A. Martin at LoggernautLoggernautLoggernaut Reading Series is a reading series in Portland, Oregon founded in 2005. Each reading features three readers and a prompt to which they respond....
. - A State of Disobedience: by JOEL BROUWER, published October 14, 2007: ostensibly a review of Notley's 2007 release In The Pines, this piece is a perceptive outtake as it both encapsulates the arc of Notley's career in poetry & the trajectory of her developing poetics