James Galvin (poet)
Encyclopedia
James Galvin is an American
poet
. He has published six collections of poetry, most recently As Is (Copper Canyon Press
, 2009), "X: Poems," and Resurrection Update, Collected Poems, 1975-1997 (Copper Canyon Press
, 1997) which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, and the Poet’s Prize. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed prose book The Meadow (Holt, 1992) and a novel, Fencing the Sky (Holt, 1999).
In 2005, Galvin along with Barry Lopez
, Peter Matthiessen
, and Terry Tempest Williams
was hailed in Mark Tredinnick's The Land's Wild Music (Trinity University Press, 2005) in which Tredinnick analyzed how the landscape nourished and developed Galvin's writing.
For more than 30 years, Galvin has been crafting poems that convey a profound sense of place, capturing both the harshness and beauty of the rural American West. In particular he vividly reveals a western landscape, a homeland, that is often devastating and, seemingly, on the verge of blowing away (The soil of Oklahoma/ Is leaving again./ Heaven is west of where it falls.) Galvin’s vision and voice are ennobled by a profound sense of obligation to the hard-bitten survivors of this eroding landscape.
The Meadow blends fact and fiction into a haunting story depicting the hundred-year history of a high country meadow along the Colorado–Wyoming border. The 100 brief vignettes are remarkable for their sympathetic portrayals of men and women—rugged individualists and family ranchers—living in symbiosis with this beautiful but unforgiving land.
He has a home, some land, and some horses outside of Tie Siding, Wyoming, and he is a member of the permanent faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop
, at the University of Iowa
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
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...
. He has published six collections of poetry, most recently As Is (Copper Canyon Press
Copper Canyon Press
Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
, 2009), "X: Poems," and Resurrection Update, Collected Poems, 1975-1997 (Copper Canyon Press
Copper Canyon Press
Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
, 1997) which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, and the Poet’s Prize. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed prose book The Meadow (Holt, 1992) and a novel, Fencing the Sky (Holt, 1999).
In 2005, Galvin along with Barry Lopez
Barry Lopez
Barry Holstun Lopez is an American author, essayist, and fiction writer whose work is known for its environmental and social concerns.-Biography:...
, Peter Matthiessen
Peter Matthiessen
Peter Matthiessen is a two-time National Book Award-winning American novelist and non-fiction writer, as well as an environmental activist...
, and Terry Tempest Williams
Terry Tempest Williams
Terry Tempest Williams , is an American author, conservationist and activist.Williams’ writing is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by the arid landscape of her native Utah in which she was raised...
was hailed in Mark Tredinnick's The Land's Wild Music (Trinity University Press, 2005) in which Tredinnick analyzed how the landscape nourished and developed Galvin's writing.
For more than 30 years, Galvin has been crafting poems that convey a profound sense of place, capturing both the harshness and beauty of the rural American West. In particular he vividly reveals a western landscape, a homeland, that is often devastating and, seemingly, on the verge of blowing away (The soil of Oklahoma/ Is leaving again./ Heaven is west of where it falls.) Galvin’s vision and voice are ennobled by a profound sense of obligation to the hard-bitten survivors of this eroding landscape.
The Meadow blends fact and fiction into a haunting story depicting the hundred-year history of a high country meadow along the Colorado–Wyoming border. The 100 brief vignettes are remarkable for their sympathetic portrayals of men and women—rugged individualists and family ranchers—living in symbiosis with this beautiful but unforgiving land.
He has a home, some land, and some horses outside of Tie Siding, Wyoming, and he is a member of the permanent faculty of 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...
.
Awards
- Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Foundation Award
- Lannan Literary Award
- Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
- Ingram Merrill Fellowship
- National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe 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...
Fellowship
Poetry
- As Is (Copper Canyon PressCopper Canyon PressCopper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
, 2009) - X: poems (Copper Canyon PressCopper Canyon PressCopper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
, 2003) - Resurrection Update: Collected Poems 1975-1997 (Copper Canyon PressCopper Canyon PressCopper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
, 1997), which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award and the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize - Lethal Frequencies (Copper Canyon PressCopper Canyon PressCopper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
, 1995) - Elements (1988)
- God's Mistress (1984), which was selected for the National Poetry Series by Marvin Bell
- Imaginary Timber (1980)