Erica Dawson is an American poet and professor. She is the author of three poetry collections.

Biography

Dawson grew up in Columbia, Maryland.[1] After earning a B.A. degree at Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Poetry at Ohio State University, she earned a PhD at the University of Cincinnati as the Elliston Fellow in Poetry.[2]

Dawson's first poetry collection, Big-Eyed Afraid (Waywiser Press, 2007), was selected for the 2006 Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize by Mary Jo Salter and was named Best Debut of 2007 by the Contemporary Poetry Review.[3][4] Her second collection, The Small Blades Hurt (Measure Press, 2014), won the 2016 Poets' Prize.[5] A third collection, When Rap Spoke Straight to God, was published by Tin House Books in 2018.[6] Dawson's poems have appeared in many literary journals and anthologies, including Barrow Street,[7] Blackbird,[4] and The Best American Poetry 2008, 2012, and 2015.[2][8][9]

Dawson is known for her innovative use of traditional forms.[10] In 2010 she was alleged by A.E. Stallings to have achieved "something like rock star status" among fellow New Formalist poets and poetry fans.[11] She lives in Tampa, Florida, where she directs the University of Tampa's Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing and serves as poetry editor of the Tampa Review.[4][6]

References

  1. ^ Hilbert, Ernest (2009). "Interview with Erica Dawson". Contemporary Poetry Review. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Lehman, David; Wright, Charles, eds. (2008). The Best American Poetry 2008. Simon and Schuster. pp. 157–158. ISBN 9780743299756.
  3. ^ "2nd Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize". Waywiser Press. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c "Erica Dawson". Blackbird Archive. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  5. ^ "Erica Dawson Wins 2016 Poets' Prize". Measure Press. March 25, 2016. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Bio". EricaDawsonPoet.net. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  7. ^ "Summer 2007 Contributors". Barrow Street. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  8. ^ Lehman, David; Doty, Mark, eds. (2012). The Best American Poetry 2012. Simon and Schuster. pp. 172–173. ISBN 9781439181546.
  9. ^ Lehman, David; Alexie, Sherman, eds. (2015). The Best American Poetry 2015. Simon and Schuster. p. 208. ISBN 9781476708218.
  10. ^ Farmer, Jonathan (February 1, 2014). "The Posing Is Real: Erica Dawson's poems gesture toward shock, but reveal something deeper". Slate. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  11. ^ Stallings, A.E. (April 21, 2010). "Afro-formalism". The Poetry Foundation. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
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