Matthew Rohrer
Encyclopedia
Matthew Rohrer is an American
poet
.
Born in Ann Arbor
, Michigan
, Rohrer was raised in Oklahoma
. He earned a B.A.
from the University of Michigan
(where he won a Hopwood Award
for poetry) and a Master of Fine Arts
degree in poetry from the University of Iowa
.
His first book of poetry, A Hummock in the Malookas (1995), was selected by Mary Oliver
for the 1994 National Poetry Series. In 2005, his collection A Green Light was shortlisted for the International Griffin Poetry Prize
. James Tate
said of A Green Light, "There are poems in A Green Light that can break your heart with their unexpected twists and turns. You think you know where you are and then you don't and it is inexplicably sad. You experience some kind of emotion that you can't even name, but it's deep and real. That's the power of Matthew Rohrer's new poems."
He was poetry editor
for Fence magazine.
He lives in Brooklyn
, New York and teaches at New York University
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
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...
.
Born in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Rohrer was raised in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He earned 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...
from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(where he won a Hopwood Award
Hopwood Award
The Hopwood Awards are a major scholarship program at the University of Michigan, founded by Avery Hopwood.Under the terms of the will of Avery Hopwood, a prominent American dramatist and member of the Class of 1905 of The University of Michigan, one-fifth of Mr. Hopwood's estate was given to the...
for poetry) and a Master of Fine Arts
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...
degree in poetry from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
.
His first book of poetry, A Hummock in the Malookas (1995), was selected by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver is an American poet who has won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. The New York Times described her as "far and away, this country's [America's] best-selling poet".-Early life:...
for the 1994 National Poetry Series. In 2005, his collection A Green Light was shortlisted for the International Griffin Poetry Prize
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....
. James Tate
James Tate (writer)
James Tate is an American poet whose work has earned him the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. He is a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters...
said of A Green Light, "There are poems in A Green Light that can break your heart with their unexpected twists and turns. You think you know where you are and then you don't and it is inexplicably sad. You experience some kind of emotion that you can't even name, but it's deep and real. That's the power of Matthew Rohrer's new poems."
He was poetry 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...
for Fence magazine.
He lives in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York and teaches at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Discography
- Adventures While Preaching the Gospel of Beauty (2003) - with Joshua BeckmanJoshua BeckmanJoshua Beckman is an American poet. He is the author of six collections of poetry, including Take It, Shake, and Things Are Happening, which won the first annual Honickman-APR book award. He is also the author of two collaborations with New York–based poet Matthew Rohrer, including Nice Hat...
External links
- Matthew Rohrer's Author Page at Wave books
- Fence magazine
- Two poems and an interview with Tao Lin
- Three poems (with Joshua Beckman)
- Three stories at Muumuu HouseMuumuu HouseMuumuu House is an American publishing house founded in November 2008 by Tao Lin. It publishes writing online and in print. It has published work by Deb Olin Unferth, Ben Lerner, Rebecca Curtis, Noah Cicero, Matthew Rohrer, Michael Earl Craig, Ellen Kennedy, Brandon Scott Gorrell, Megan Boyle,...
- Griffin Poetry Prize biography
- Griffin Poetry Prize reading, including video clip
- Griffin Poetry Prize keynote speech
- From Town to Town They Go, A Busload of Poets, Rhymes in Tow, The New York Sun
- Matthew Rohrer at The Emergency Reading Series