David Orr (journalist)
Encyclopedia
David Orr is an American journalist, attorney, and poet who is noted for his reviews and essays on poetry
.
Orr grew up in Columbia, South Carolina
. He earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Princeton University
in 1996, and subsequently a law degree from Yale University
. While still a law student, Orr published a review in Poetry Magazine. While practicing law, Orr has written reviews and essays for Poetry Magazine, The New York Times
, and other periodicals. Orr was awarded the 2004 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing of the National Book Critics Circle
. In 2005 he became a columnist for the New York Times Sunday Review of Books
, where his On Poetry column appears occasionally. He was the Hodder Fellow at Princeton University in 2006-2007.
Several of Orr's poems have been published in Poetry Magazine. In 2011 he published Beautiful & Pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry, of which Craig Morgan Teicher has written, "David Orr, the New York Times Book Reviews poetry columnist as well as a poet, is a guide after my own heart as he seeks not just to initiate the uninitiated in his new book, Beautiful & Pointless, but also to hold a mirror up to the poetry world itself."
about Ruth Lilly
's $200 million bequest to the Poetry Foundation
. The bequest, the Poetry Foundation's response to it, and the articles by Goodyear and Orr have been controversial. Example of Orr's occasional column, On Poetry, from The New York Times Sunday Book Review. Television program featuring Sam Tanenhaus
(editor of the New York Times Book Review) as guest host, Alice Quinn (editor of Elizabeth Bishop's unpublished poetry), and Orr in a discussion of Bishop's poetry and life.
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
.
Orr grew up in Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
. He earned a bachelor's degree in English literature from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1996, and subsequently a law degree from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. While still a law student, Orr published a review in Poetry Magazine. While practicing law, Orr has written reviews and essays for Poetry Magazine, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, and other periodicals. Orr was awarded the 2004 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing of the National Book Critics Circle
National Book Critics Circle
The National Book Critics Circle is an American tax-exempt organization for active book reviewers. Its flagship is the National Book Critics Circle Award....
. In 2005 he became a columnist for the New York Times Sunday Review of Books
New York Times Sunday Review of Books
The New York Times Sunday Review of Books is a weekly collection of book reviews published by The New York Times. Reviews are often written by the top writers in the English language, and the choice of a writer to review a book can create controversy...
, where his On Poetry column appears occasionally. He was the Hodder Fellow at Princeton University in 2006-2007.
Several of Orr's poems have been published in Poetry Magazine. In 2011 he published Beautiful & Pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry, of which Craig Morgan Teicher has written, "David Orr, the New York Times Book Reviews poetry columnist as well as a poet, is a guide after my own heart as he seeks not just to initiate the uninitiated in his new book, Beautiful & Pointless, but also to hold a mirror up to the poetry world itself."
Further reading
Recommended as exemplary by Edward Champion. This article was a response to Dana Goodyear's article in The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
about Ruth Lilly
Ruth Lilly
Ruth Lilly was an American philanthropist. She was the daughter of Josiah K. Lilly, Jr., and Ruth Lilly, and the sole living heiress to the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical fortune built by her great grandfather, Colonel Eli Lilly.Lilly made headlines in November 2002 when she pledged stock...
's $200 million bequest to the Poetry Foundation
Poetry Foundation
The Poetry Foundation is a Chicago-based American foundation created to promote poetry in the wider culture. It was formed from Poetry magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthropist Ruth Lilly....
. The bequest, the Poetry Foundation's response to it, and the articles by Goodyear and Orr have been controversial. Example of Orr's occasional column, On Poetry, from The New York Times Sunday Book Review. Television program featuring Sam Tanenhaus
Sam Tanenhaus
Sam Tanenhaus is an American historian, biographer, and journalist.-Biography:Tanenhaus received his B.A. in English from Grinnell College in 1977 and a M.A. in English Literature from Yale University in 1978. He is currently the editor of The New York Times Book Review and Week in Review...
(editor of the New York Times Book Review) as guest host, Alice Quinn (editor of Elizabeth Bishop's unpublished poetry), and Orr in a discussion of Bishop's poetry and life.