Kate Colby
Encyclopedia
Kate Colby is an American poet. She grew up in Massachusetts. She graduated from Wesleyan University
, and with an MFA from California College of the Arts
. In 1997, she moved to San Francisco. She worked for several years at Institute for Unpopular Culture
as a volunteer. In 2008, she moved in Providence, Rhode Island
, where she works as an editor.
Her work has appeared in Aufgabe, New American Writing, NO: a journal of the arts, and Parthenon West Review,
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
, and with an MFA from California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts , founded in 1907, is known for its broad, interdisciplinary programs in art, design, architecture, and writing. It has two campuses, one in Oakland and one in San Francisco, California, USA...
. In 1997, she moved to San Francisco. She worked for several years at Institute for Unpopular Culture
Institute for Unpopular Culture
Institute For Unpopular Culture is an alternative and outsider culture organization based in San Francisco, California.-Funding:IFUC is a Private Foundation. It no longer accepts tax deductible donations in the USA....
as a volunteer. In 2008, she moved in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, where she works as an editor.
Her work has appeared in Aufgabe, New American Writing, NO: a journal of the arts, and Parthenon West Review,
Awards
- 2007 Norma Farber First Book AwardNorma Farber First Book AwardThe Norma Farber First Book Award is given by the Poetry Society of America "for a first book of original poetry written by an American and published in either a hard or soft cover in a standard edition during the calendar year"....
, Fruitlands - 2011 Finalist for Poetry Book of the Year Award, Beauport
Reviews
Kate Colby's Unbecoming Behavior examines Jane Bowles’ biography through an imaginative parsing of sensory detail, autobiographical detail and critique of creative process. The long poem is as engaging and resonant as the subject matter is rich.
Besides Colby’s interesting thematic projects, Fruitlands bears smaller traces of her fingerprints: her obsession with the color blue, the quote she uses from one of my favorite Built to SpillBuilt to SpillBuilt to Spill is an American indie rock band based in Boise, Idaho. The band has released seven full-length albums. Their most recent album, There Is No Enemy, was released on October 6, 2009.-History:...
songs (No one wants to hear / what you dreamt about / unless you dreamt about / them), her references to Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
and Bruno SchulzBruno SchulzBruno Schulz was a Polish writer, fine artist, literary critic and art teacher born to Jewish parents, and regarded as one of the great Polish-language prose stylists of the 20th century. Schulz was born in Drohobycz, in the province of Galicia then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and spent...
. These moments are so delightful and unique, they feel comfortably inscrutable. Or, just as likely, I realized there was something harsh, even disingenuous, in asking the question “why?” when they felt just right.