Barbara Guest
Encyclopedia
Barbara Guest née Barbara Ann Pinson (September 6, 1920 – February 15, 2006) was an American poet and prose stylist. Guest first gained recognition as a member of the first generation New York School
of poetry.
Born in Wilmington, North Carolina
and raised in California
, Guest earned a B.A.
in General Curriculum-Humanities in 1943 at UC Berkeley. She spent years in New York City
where she became involved with the New York School Poets. She was also well-known for her book on the poet H.D.
, Herself Defined: The Poet H.D. and Her World (1984). In 1999, she was awarded the Frost Medal
for Lifetime Achievement by the Poetry Society of America
.
, appended in a footnote to the transcript by John Tranter
New York School
The New York School was an informal group of American poets, painters, dancers, and musicians active in the 1950s, 1960s in New York City...
of poetry.
Born in Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
and raised in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Guest 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...
in General Curriculum-Humanities in 1943 at UC Berkeley. She spent years in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where she became involved with the New York School Poets. She was also well-known for her book on the poet H.D.
H.D.
H.D. was an American poet, novelist and memoirist known for her association with the early 20th century avant-garde Imagist group of poets such as Ezra Pound and Richard Aldington...
, Herself Defined: The Poet H.D. and Her World (1984). In 1999, she was awarded the Frost Medal
Frost Medal
The Robert Frost Medal is an award of the Poetry Society of America for "distinguished lifetime service to American poetry." Medalists receive a prize purse of $2,500....
for Lifetime Achievement by the Poetry Society of America
Poetry Society of America
The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists including Witter Bynner. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the have included such renowned writers as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Edna St. Vincent...
.
Selected bibliography
- The Location of Things (Tibor de Nagy, 1960)
- Poems: The Location of Things, Archaics, The Open Skies (Doubleday & Company, 1962)
- The Open Skies (1962)
- The Blue Stairs (Corinth Books, 1968)
- Moscow Mansions (Viking, 1973)
- The Countess from Minneapolis (Burning Deck PressBurning Deck PressBurning Deck is a small press specializing in the publication of experimental poetry and prose. Burning Deck was founded by the writers Keith Waldrop and Rosmarie Waldrop in 1961.-Overview:...
, 1976) - Seeking Air (Black SparrowBlack Sparrow BooksBlack Sparrow Books, formerly known as Black Sparrow Press, is a book publisher originally founded in 1966 by John Martin of Santa Rosa, California. He founded this company in order to publish the works of Charles Bukowski and other avant-garde authors. He initially financed this company by...
, 1977; reprint, Los Angeles: Sun & Moon Press, 1997) - The Türler Losses (Montréal: Mansfield Book Mart, 1979)
- Biography (Burning Deck, 1980)
- Quilts (Vehicle Edition, 1981)
- Herself Defined: The Poet H. D. and Her World (Doubleday & Company, 1984)
- Fair Realism (Sun & Moon Press, 1989)
- Musicality (1988)
- Defensive Rapture (Sun & Moon Press, 1993)
- Selected Poems (Sun & Moon Press, 1995)
- Quill Solitary, Apparition (The Post-Apollo Press, 1996)
- Seeking Air (Sun & Moon Press, 1997)
- Etruscan Reader VI (with Robin BlaserRobin BlaserRobin Francis Blaser was an author and poet in both the United States and Canada.-Personal background:Born in Denver, Colorado, Blaser grew up in Idaho, and came to Berkeley, California, in 1944. There he met Jack Spicer and Robert Duncan, becoming a key figure in the San Francisco Renaissance of...
and Lee HarwoodLee HarwoodLee Harwood is a poet associated with the British Poetry Revival.-Life:Travers Rafe Lee Harwood was born in Leicester to maths teacher Wilfred Travers Lee-Harwood and Grace Ladkin Harwood, who were then living in Chertsey, Surrey...
) (19981998 in literatureThe year 1998 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 5 - Tennessee Williams' 1938 play, Not About Nightingales, receives its stage première....
) - Rocks on a Platter (Wesleyan, 1999)
- If So, Tell Me (Reality Street Editions, UK, 1999)
- The Confetti Trees (Sun & Moon, 1999)
- Symbiosis (Berkeley: Kelsey Street Press, 2000)
- Miniatures and Other Poems (Wesleyan University Press, 2002)
- Forces of Imagination: Writing on Writing (Kelsey Street Press, 2003)
- Durer in the Window: Reflexions on Art (Roof Books, 2003)
- The Red Gaze (Wesleyan University Press, 2005)
- Fallschirme, Gebliebter. Ausgewählte Gedichte (German, Bilingual Edition, luxbooks, 2008)
- The Collected Poems of Barbara Guest (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 2008)
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| Michael Palmer Michael Palmer Michael Palmer is an American poet and translator. He attended Harvard University where he earned a BA in French and a MA in Comparative Literature. He has worked extensively with Contemporary dance for over thirty years and has collaborated with many composers and visual artists... |
Collaborative books
Note: the source for this section is from "Introducing Barbara Guest" by Charles BernsteinCharles Bernstein
Charles Bernstein is an American poet, theorist, editor, and literary scholar. Bernstein holds the Donald T. Regan Chair in the Department of English at the University of Pennsylvania. He is one of the most prominent members of the Language poets . In 2006 he was elected a Fellow of the American...
, appended in a footnote to the transcript by John Tranter
John Tranter
John Ernest Tranter is an Australian poet, publisher and editor. He has a long list of achievements in writing, publishing and broadcasting...
- I Ching, with Sheila Isham (Paris, France: Mourlot Art Editions, 1969)
- Musicality, with June Felter (Kelsey St. Press, 1988)
- The Nude, Warren Brandt (Art Editions, New York, 1989
- The Altos, with artist Richard TuttleRichard TuttleRichard Dean Tuttle is an American postminimalist artist known for his small, subtle, intimate works. His art makes use of scale and line.- Biography :...
(San Francisco: Hank Hine Publisher, 1993) - Stripped Tales, with artist Anne DunnAnne DunnAnne Dunn is an English artist associated with the second generation of the School of London.-Background and education:...
(Berkeley, California: Kelsey St. Press, 1995) - Strings, with artist Ann Slacik (Paris, France, 1999)
- The Luminous, with artist Jane Moorman (Palo Alto, California, 1999)
- Symbiosis, with artist Laurie Reid (Kelsey St. Press, 2000)
External links
- Movie of Barbera Guest Reading her Poetry
- Barbara Guest Memory Bank A gathering of brief memoirs and BG poems (selected by her readers) to honor the life and writing of Barbara Guest
- Review of 'The Red Gaze' at poetry magazine "Intercapillary Space"
- Chicago Review special issue on Guest
- "Add-Verse" a poetry-photo-video project Guest participated in - this is a link to "selections" from "The gendered marvelous...", an essay by Rachel Blau DuPlessisRachel Blau DuPlessisRachel Blau DuPlessis an American poet and essayist, is known as a feminist critic and scholar with a special interest in modernist and contemporary poetry.-Life and work:...
- “Selfish Enchantments”: Barbara Guest and the Nature of Arrangement This essay by U.S. poet Ben LernerBen LernerBenjamin S. Lerner is an American poet, novelist, and critic. He was awarded the Hayden Carruth prize for his cycle of fifty-two sonnets, . In 2004, Library Journal named it one of the year's twelve best books of poetry...
first appeared in New American WritingNew American WritingNew American Writing is a once-a-year American literary magazine emphasizing contemporary American poetry, including a range of innovative contemporary writing. The magazine is published in association with San Francisco State University. New American Writing is published by OINK! Press, a...
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