Kevin Prufer
Encyclopedia
Kevin D. Prufer is an American poet
, academic
, editor
, and essayist. His most recent books are In A Beautiful Country (Four Way Books
, 2011) and National Anthem (Four Way Books
, 2008). He has published poems, essays, and reviews in literary journals and magazines including American Book Review, American Poetry Review, Boulevard, Colorado Review, Shenandoah, Field, The Paris Review, The New Republic, The Kenyon Review, Boston Review
, Georgia Review, and in The Best American Poetry
(2003 & 2009). His honors include three Pushcart Prize
s, and awards from the Poetry Society of America
, the Academy of American Poets
, The Lannan Foundation and other organizations. His first book, Strange Wood, received the 1997 Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Prize (formerly the Winthrop Prize). Most recently he was awarded a 2007 National Endowment for the Arts
Literature Fellowship in Poetry.
After Prufer received a B.A.
at Wesleyan University
and an M.A.
at the Hollins University
Writing Program, he went on to earn an MFA
at Washington University in St. Louis
. He is currently Professor
of English
in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston
and Editor-at-Large of Pleiades: A Journal of New Writing
, Associate Editor of American Book Review
, and the former Vice President/Secretary of the National Book Critics Circle
. Prufer currently resides in Houston, Texas
with artist
and critic
Mary Hallab.
Anthologies Edited
Poetry Collections In Translation
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...
, academic
Academia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
, 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 essayist. His most recent books are In A Beautiful Country (Four Way Books
Four Way Books
Four Way Books is an American not-for-profit literary press located in New York City, New York, which publishes poetry and short fiction by emerging and established writers. It features the work of the winners of national poetry competitions, as well as collections accepted through general...
, 2011) and National Anthem (Four Way Books
Four Way Books
Four Way Books is an American not-for-profit literary press located in New York City, New York, which publishes poetry and short fiction by emerging and established writers. It features the work of the winners of national poetry competitions, as well as collections accepted through general...
, 2008). He has published poems, essays, and reviews in literary journals and magazines including American Book Review, American Poetry Review, Boulevard, Colorado Review, Shenandoah, Field, The Paris Review, The New Republic, The Kenyon Review, Boston Review
Boston Review
Boston Review is a bimonthly American political and literary magazine. The magazine covers, specifically, political debates, literature, and poetry...
, Georgia Review, and in The Best American Poetry
The Best American Poetry
The Best American Poetry series consists of annual poetry anthologies, each containing seventy-five poems.The series, begun by poet and editor David Lehman in 1988, has a different guest editor every year...
(2003 & 2009). His honors include three Pushcart Prize
Pushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
s, and awards from 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...
, 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...
, The Lannan Foundation and other organizations. His first book, Strange Wood, received the 1997 Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Prize (formerly the Winthrop Prize). Most recently he was awarded a 2007 National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The 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...
Literature Fellowship in Poetry.
After Prufer 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...
at Wesleyan University
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 an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
at the Hollins University
Hollins University
Hollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia...
Writing Program, he went on to earn an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. He is currently Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of English
English studies
English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
and Editor-at-Large of Pleiades: A Journal of New Writing
Pleiades (magazine)
Pleiades: A Journal of New Writing is a literary semiannual, non-profit publisher of contemporary American poetry, fiction, essays, and extensive reviews of recent small/university press titles. First published in . The journal is published by the University of Central Missouri's English and...
, Associate Editor of American Book Review
American Book Review
The American Book Review is a nonprofit, internationally distributed publication that appears six times a year. ABR specializes in reviews of frequently neglected published works of fiction, poetry, and literary and cultural criticism from small, regional, university, ethnic, avant-garde, and...
, and the former Vice President/Secretary 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....
. Prufer currently resides in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
with artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and critic
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
Mary Hallab.
Published works
Full-Length Poetry Collections- In A Beautiful Country (Four Way BooksFour Way BooksFour Way Books is an American not-for-profit literary press located in New York City, New York, which publishes poetry and short fiction by emerging and established writers. It features the work of the winners of national poetry competitions, as well as collections accepted through general...
, 2011) - National Anthem (Four Way BooksFour Way BooksFour Way Books is an American not-for-profit literary press located in New York City, New York, which publishes poetry and short fiction by emerging and established writers. It features the work of the winners of national poetry competitions, as well as collections accepted through general...
, 2008) - Fallen from a Chariot (Carnegie Mellon University PressCarnegie Mellon University PressCarnegie Mellon University Press is a publisher that is part of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.It is headquartered within the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences in Baker Hall and specializes in poetry. Gerald Costanzo is the founder and...
, 2005) - The Finger Bone (Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2002)
- Strange Wood (Louisiana State University PressLouisiana State University PressThe Louisiana State University Press is a nonprofit book publisher and an academic unit of Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, the press publishes scholarly, general interest, and regional books as part of the university’s mission to disseminate knowledge and culture...
, 1998)
Anthologies Edited
- Dunstan Thompson: On the Life & Work of a Lost American Master (Pleiades Press, 2010, with D.A. Powell)
- New European Poets (Graywolf PressGraywolf PressGraywolf 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...
, 2008, with Wayne Miller) - Dark Horses: Poets on Overlooked Poems (University of Illinois PressUniversity of Illinois PressThe University of Illinois Press , is a major American university press and part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic projects...
, 2007, with Joy Katz) - The New Young American Poets (Southern Illinois University PressSouthern Illinois University PressSouthern Illinois University Press, founded in 1956, is a university press located in Carbondale, Illinois.The press publishes approximately 50 titles annually, among its more than 1,200 titles currently in print....
, 2000)
Poetry Collections In Translation
- Wir wollten Amerika finden (Luxbooks, 2011) (German translation by Norbert Lange and Susanna Mewe)
Honors and awards
- Best American Poetry 2010
- 2010 Lannan Foundation Fellowship
- 2007 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...
Literature Fellowship in Poetry - 2007 Pushcart Prize
- 2006 George Bogin Memorial AwardGeorge Bogin Memorial AwardThe Poetry Society of America's George Bogin Memorial Award is given "by the family and friends of George Bogin for a selection of four or five poems that use language in an original way to reflect the encounter of the ordinary and the extraordinary and to take a stand against oppression in any of...
- 2004 George Bogin Memorial Award
- 2004 Pushcart Prize
- Best American Poetry 2003
- 2002 Pushcart Prize
- 1997 Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Prize