Mary Ellen Solt
Encyclopedia
Mary Ellen Solt, née Bottom (July 8, 1920, Gilmore City, Iowa
– June 21, 2007) was an American
concrete poet
. Her work was most notably poems in the shape of flowers such as "Forsythia
", "Lilac
", and
"Geranium". They were collected in Flowers in Concrete (1966).
With Willis Barnstone, she edited Concrete Poetry: A World View, which the New York Times said was "considered one of the major anthologies of the form".
She married Leo Frank Solt, who was a historian, with books on old and early modern English history and Puritanism
. They both taught at Indiana University
and she was also director of the Polish Studies Center.
Gilmore City, Iowa
Gilmore City is a city in Humboldt and Pocahontas Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 556 at the 2000 census. The town was originally known as Blooming Prairie but the name was changed to Gilmore City in the early 1880s. It was named for C. N. Gilmore who was the superintendent...
– June 21, 2007) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
concrete poet
Concrete poetry
Concrete poetry or shape poetry is poetry in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on....
. Her work was most notably poems in the shape of flowers such as "Forsythia
Forsythia
Forsythia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae . There are about 11 species, mostly native to eastern Asia, but one native to southeastern Europe. The common name is also Forsythia; the genus is named after William Forsyth.-Growth:They are deciduous shrubs typically growing to a...
", "Lilac
Lilac
Syringa is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering woody plants in the olive family , native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere....
", and
"Geranium". They were collected in Flowers in Concrete (1966).
With Willis Barnstone, she edited Concrete Poetry: A World View, which the New York Times said was "considered one of the major anthologies of the form".
She married Leo Frank Solt, who was a historian, with books on old and early modern English history and Puritanism
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
. They both taught at 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 she was also director of the Polish Studies Center.
External links
- Poems at UbuWebUbuWebUbuWeb is a large web-based educational resource for avant-garde material available on the internet, founded in 1996 by poet Kenneth Goldsmith. It offers visual, concrete and sound poetry, expanding to include film and sound art mp3 archives.-Philosophy:...
- Concrete Poetry: A World View at UbuWeb