James L. White
Encyclopedia
James L. White was an American
poet
, editor
and teacher.
, White attended Indiana University
and Colorado State University
where he attained an MA in Literary Criticism.
White taught as a poet in the schools on the Navajo Indian Reservation and in Minnesota public schools as part of a pilot program by COMPAS. He also taught with Allen Ginsberg
at Naropa University
's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.
While teaching, White edited the poetry collections Time of the Indian (1976), which featured the poetry of Indian schoolchildren, and First Skin Around Me (1976), which featured the work of contemporary Indian writers including Joy Harjo
and Duane Niatum
.
His own books of poetry include the book The Salt Ecstasies, published in 1982 after his death by Graywolf Press
.
White died of heart disease
on July 13, 1981, at the age of 45.
credits White with giving her "permission" to be a poet. Others were influenced by the content of White's poetry. Mark Doty
credits White as an early influence on his work and has written poetry in his honor. The poet Carl Phillips
has written that White's The Salt Ecstasies was the first book he read that "spoke with disarming honesty about gay desire, desire generally, sex specifically." He credits White's book as a "crucial voice" he encountered as he began as a poet.
, its second publisher, stopped publication. The White Crane Institute
is the current holder of the archives of the review and is considering options for future issues of the review.
gay
. The White Crane/James White Poetry Prize is a manuscript prize honoring "excellence in Gay Male Poetry." The judge for the inaugural year of the prize was the poet Mark Doty
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
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...
, editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and teacher.
Biography
Born in Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, White attended Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
and Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
where he attained an MA in Literary Criticism.
White taught as a poet in the schools on the Navajo Indian Reservation and in Minnesota public schools as part of a pilot program by COMPAS. He also taught with Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
at Naropa University
Naropa University
Naropa University is a private American liberal arts university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher and Oxford University scholar Chögyam Trungpa, it is named for the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, an abbot of Nalanda.Naropa describes itself as...
's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.
While teaching, White edited the poetry collections Time of the Indian (1976), which featured the poetry of Indian schoolchildren, and First Skin Around Me (1976), which featured the work of contemporary Indian writers including Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo is a Native American poet, musician, and author of ancestry. Known primarily as a poet, Harjo has also taught at the college level, played alto saxophone with a band called Poetic Justice, edited literary journals, and written screenplays. She is a member of the Muscogee Nation and...
and Duane Niatum
Duane Niatum
-Life:After his parent's divorce, his Klallam grandfather became his surrogate father.After serving in the Navy, he graduated from the University of Washington, Johns Hopkins University with a M.A., and the University of Michigan with a Ph.D...
.
His own books of poetry include the book The Salt Ecstasies, published in 1982 after his death by Graywolf Press
Graywolf Press
Graywolf Press is an independent, non-profit publisher located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Founded on a dedication to the creation and promotion of thoughtful and imaginative contemporary literature essential to a vital and diverse culture, Graywolf Press publishes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.Now...
.
White died of heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
on July 13, 1981, at the age of 45.
Influence
White had an influence on many writers as a mentor and friend. In her book Wild Mind, the author Natalie GoldbergNatalie Goldberg
Natalie Goldberg is an American author. She is best known for a series of books which explore writing as Zen practice. Goldberg lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.-Books:*Chicken and in Love , ISBN 978-0930100049...
credits White with giving her "permission" to be a poet. Others were influenced by the content of White's poetry. Mark Doty
Mark Doty
Mark Doty is an American poet and memoirist.-Biography:He was born in Maryville, Tennessee, earned his Bachelor of Arts from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and received his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Goddard College in Vermont.In 1989, his partner Wally Roberts tested...
credits White as an early influence on his work and has written poetry in his honor. The poet Carl Phillips
Carl Phillips
Carl Phillips is an American writer and poet. He is a Professor of English and of African and Afro-American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis....
has written that White's The Salt Ecstasies was the first book he read that "spoke with disarming honesty about gay desire, desire generally, sex specifically." He credits White's book as a "crucial voice" he encountered as he began as a poet.
James White Review
Soon after White's death a literary quarterly of gay men's writing was inaugurated under the name James White Review. It was first published in Minneapolis in 1983 and continued until 2005 when the Lambda Literary FoundationLambda Literary Foundation
The Lambda Literary Foundation is the largest LGBT literary organization in the world. The foundation's mission is to nurture, celebrate, and preserve Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender literature through three programs that honor excellence, promote visibility and encourage development of...
, its second publisher, stopped publication. The White Crane Institute
White Crane Institute
White Crane Institute is a United States non-profit organization headquartered in New York State.White Crane Institute is an educational non-profit dedicated to publishing the Gay wisdom and culture quarterly magazine White Crane .The institute has published classics in modern gay literature...
is the current holder of the archives of the review and is considering options for future issues of the review.
James White Poetry Prize
In the spring of 2008, the White Crane Institute and Phil Willkie announced the establishment of a biennial gay men's poetry prize in honor of White, who was openlyComing out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
. The White Crane/James White Poetry Prize is a manuscript prize honoring "excellence in Gay Male Poetry." The judge for the inaugural year of the prize was the poet Mark Doty
Mark Doty
Mark Doty is an American poet and memoirist.-Biography:He was born in Maryville, Tennessee, earned his Bachelor of Arts from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and received his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Goddard College in Vermont.In 1989, his partner Wally Roberts tested...
.