Tony Harrison wins European Literature Prize

Native of Leeds, poet Tony Harrison has won the 2010 European Literature Prize.

www.prixeuropeendelitterature.eu

Geoffrey Hill is the 44th Oxford Professor of Poetry

Some people have felt that Geoffrey Hill and Barack Obama shared something special... and now we know what it is: both are NUMBER 44. Relieved that Barack Obama has not been named to the 44th Oxford Poetry Professorship, the Boston Globe chose to make the announcement about Hill's victory in an article entitled "In Ted's Honor" which speaks first of a commemorative breakfast for Ted Kennedy. The same article eventually notes that because Geoffrey Hill and Christopher Ricks have held the position of Oxford Professor of Poetry, "Boston University rules the world — the poetry world, at least." Boston Globe (June 19, 2010).

See also:

Geoffrey Hill Zinger (June 18, 2010).

Stephen Moss, "My run for Oxford professor of poetry was crushed by viral campaign — and a distinguished rival," Guardian (June 18, 2010).

Jorie Graham at "Poetries of the Stranger"

Jorie Graham read at the international poetry festival "Poetries of the Stranger" during the evening devoted to "Strange Image," along with Henri Cole and Mark Strand (April 18, 2009).   The festival, created by Richard Kearney and held at Boston College, treats the theme of hospitality to the stranger.  

This has been quite an eventful month for Graham.  On April 13, 2009 she was voted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The induction and award ceremony will take place on May 20, 2009.

Links:

Jorie Graham's website (www.joriegraham.com).

Poetries of the Stranger (www.bc.edu).

Jorie Graham reading at Penn, and introduced by Bob Perleman (BLIP.fm).

American Academy of Arts and Letters (www.artsandletters.org).

"Arts Academy Welcomes 2 UI Graduates," University of Iowa (www.iowa.com).

Henri Cole has just won 25,000 dollars

Let's hope that he won't invest it in the stock market.  The 2008 Lenore Marshall Prize for "the year's most outstanding book of poetry" was awarded to Henri Cole yesterday for Blackbird and Wolf (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007), by the Academy of American Poets (the judges were Lucie Brock-Broido, B.H. Fairchild, and John Koethe).

Listen to Cole reading "Oil & Steel" here.

Cole's answer to "What is American About American Poetry" from the Poetry Society.

And the winner is ...

Louise Glück has been selected by the Academy of American Poets for the 2008 Wallace Stevens Award. See brief announcement in the New York Times (September 3, 2008).

Kay Ryan, Poet Laureate of the USA

Coming after Charles Simic, Kay Ryan was appointed the new Poet Laureate of the United States in July.

Edward Byrne at Valparaiso Poetry Review published a piece on her recent collection The Niagara River in February 2007 as well as a description about Ryan on his blog.

http://edwardbyrne.blogspot.com/2008/07/kay-ryan-poet-laureate-of-united-states.html

http://edwardbyrne.blogspot.com/2007/02/kay-ryan-niagara-river.html

The Library of Congress features a bio-bibliographical sketch here.