Kim Roberts
Encyclopedia
Kim Roberts is an award-winning American poet
, author, and editor
residing in Washington, D.C.
.
. She received a BFA from Emerson College
and an MFA from the University of Arizona
.
She is the editor of Beltway Poetry Quarterly
, the anthology Full Moon On K Street: Poems About Washington DC (Plan B Press, 2010), and author of the poetry books Animal Magnetism (Pearl Editions, 2011), The Kimnama (Vrzhu Press
, 2007), and The Wishbone Galaxy (Washington Writers Publishing House
, 1994). Her work has been published in numerous anthologies and literary journals throughout the US, and internationally. The Kimnama is a book-length poem that chronicles her experiences during a period of residence in India.
Roberts has seen her work adapted to music by, Arc of Ones, as well as by classical composer Daron Aric Hagen. Several poems have been choreographed by Jane Franklin Dance Company, which were performed at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.
Washington, D.C., is the source of much inspiration for Roberts. She developed a tour of the greater U Street neighborhood called "The 'Harlem' Renaissance in D.C.," presented at Split This Rock
Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness in March 2008. In April 2008, her self-guided walking tour of sites related to F. Scott Fitzgerald
and The Great Gatsby
was published by the Humanities Council of Washington in conjunction with the city-wide celebration, The Big Read. "Zora Neale Hurston
's Washington" was published by the Humanities Council for the Big Read in 2007. Roberts' research on Walt Whitman
’s decade in residence of Washington, DC was featured in The Walt Whitman Quarterly Review, as well as being referenced in subsequent articles in The Washington Post and The Washington Times, features on radio essays on stations WAMU
and WPFW
, and on panels for Whitman conferences at Rutgers University
, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and at the annual Washington Historical Studies Conference. Roberts was the Coordinator of the city-wide festival in 2005, "DC Celebrates Whitman: 150 Years of Leaves of Grass
."
, the D.C. Commission on the Arts, and the Humanities Council of Washington. She has been awarded writer's residencies at twelve artist colonies across the United States.
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...
, author, and 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...
residing in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
Life
Roberts was born in Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. She received a BFA from Emerson College
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private coeducational university located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of oratory," Emerson is "the only comprehensive college or university in America dedicated exclusively to communication and the arts in a liberal arts...
and an MFA from the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
.
She is the editor of Beltway Poetry Quarterly
Beltway Poetry Quarterly
Beltway Poetry Quarterly is an English-language, online literary magazine based in Washington, DC.As its name suggests, it features poetry from the "Beltway" region of the Washington, DC area...
, the anthology Full Moon On K Street: Poems About Washington DC (Plan B Press, 2010), and author of the poetry books Animal Magnetism (Pearl Editions, 2011), The Kimnama (Vrzhu Press
Vrzhu Press
Vrzhu Press is a contemporary poetry publishing company based in the Brookland neighborhood of Washington, DC. It was founded in 2006 by Michael Gushue and Dan Vera. In March 2006 the press released its first two titles The Kimnama, by D.C. poet Kim Roberts and More Than Anything by Maryland poet...
, 2007), and The Wishbone Galaxy (Washington Writers Publishing House
Washington Writers Publishing House
Washington Writers' Publishing House is a cooperative, member-run, non-profit small press publishing poetry and fiction. The press was founded by Grace Cavalieri and John McNally in 1973 to publish authors who live in the Washington-Baltimore region....
, 1994). Her work has been published in numerous anthologies and literary journals throughout the US, and internationally. The Kimnama is a book-length poem that chronicles her experiences during a period of residence in India.
Roberts has seen her work adapted to music by, Arc of Ones, as well as by classical composer Daron Aric Hagen. Several poems have been choreographed by Jane Franklin Dance Company, which were performed at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage.
Washington, D.C., is the source of much inspiration for Roberts. She developed a tour of the greater U Street neighborhood called "The 'Harlem' Renaissance in D.C.," presented at Split This Rock
Split This Rock
Split This Rock, a national nonprofit organization of poets, artists, and activists based in Washington, D.C.The organization's stated goals are: To celebrate the poetry of provocation and witness being written, published, and performed in the United States today; and to call poets to a greater...
Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness in March 2008. In April 2008, her self-guided walking tour of sites related to F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
and The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published in1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City from spring to autumn of 1922....
was published by the Humanities Council of Washington in conjunction with the city-wide celebration, The Big Read. "Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston was an American folklorist, anthropologist, and author during the time of the Harlem Renaissance...
's Washington" was published by the Humanities Council for the Big Read in 2007. Roberts' research on Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
’s decade in residence of Washington, DC was featured in The Walt Whitman Quarterly Review, as well as being referenced in subsequent articles in The Washington Post and The Washington Times, features on radio essays on stations WAMU
WAMU
WAMU is a public radio station that services the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. The station broadcasts on 88.5 FM, online at wamu.org, and on HD Radio at 88.5-HD1, 2 and 3. WAMU is on-air 24 hours a day. It is licensed to American University, and its studios are located near the campus...
and WPFW
WPFW
WPFW, an FM station at 89.3 MHz, is the Washington, DC station owned by Pacifica Radio. The station first went on the air in 1977. Aside from syndicated Pacifica programs such as Democracy Now!, much of its programming is locally produced and dedicated to jazz, blues, classic soul music and...
, and on panels for Whitman conferences at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and at the annual Washington Historical Studies Conference. Roberts was the Coordinator of the city-wide festival in 2005, "DC Celebrates Whitman: 150 Years of Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass
Leaves of Grass is a poetry collection by the American poet Walt Whitman . Though the first edition was published in 1855, Whitman spent his entire life writing Leaves of Grass, revising it in several editions until his death...
."
Awards
Roberts is the winner of the 2009 Pearl Poetry Prize for her manuscript, "Animal Magnetism." In 2010, she won the Washington Online Award for "Contributions to the DC Literary Community." In 2008, she was awarded an Independent Voice Award from the Capital BookFest. Roberts is the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the HumanitiesNational Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
, the D.C. Commission on the Arts, and the Humanities Council of Washington. She has been awarded writer's residencies at twelve artist colonies across the United States.