Floyd Skloot
Encyclopedia
Floyd Skloot is an American poet, novelist, and memoirist who has often written about the search for meaning through personal loss and the struggle for coherence in a fragmented world. Some of his work has dealt with his battle with neurological damage caused by a virus (brain lesions) he contracted in 1988.
and an M.A. in English at Southern Illinois University
, where he studied with the Irish poet Thomas Kinsella
. A New Yorker, Skloot moved to Portland, Oregon in 1984. He is married to painter Beverly Hallberg, who specializes in both abstract and impressionist landscapes, and is the father of the bestselling non-fiction writer Rebecca Skloot
, whose work includes The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
. Skloot and Hallberg live in Oregon
.
Skloot is the author of seventeen books, including the memoirs In the Shadow of Memory (2003) and The Wink of the Zenith: The Shaping of a Writer's Life (2008). He has contributed to publications including The New York Times Magazine
, The Atlantic Monthly
, Harper's
, Poetry
, The Sewanee Review, Southern Review
, Virginia Quarterly Review, Hudson Review, Boulevard, and Southwest Review
. His book reviews frequently appear in the Boston Globe,New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Harvard Review
. Skloot and his daughter co-edited The Best American Science Writing 2011 for HarperCollins/Ecco, to be published in September 2011. He will publish his first collection of short stories in September 2011, "Cream of Kohlrabi," from Tupelo Press and in 2012, he will publish "Close Reading," his seventh book of poetry, also from Tupelo Press.
) that he has described as the means to silence his "ability to concentrate and remember, to spell or conceptualize, to express myself, to think." Being that every creative thought only comes at spontaneous moments, Skloot must use his full amount of careful concentration to grasp these ideas and shape them to fit into his work. Whereas before brain damage he would listen to jazz
music while writing, he now finds it tremendously distracting along with any and all of the most minute noises.
Now in his 60s, Skloot confronts the question if he will ever "get better" by simply stating that he will never be the man that he was; that he has learned to perceive the world more clearly and slowly since his ailment. In his memoir, In the Shadow of Memory, Skloot explains "I have changed. I have learned to live and live richly as I am now. Slowed down, softer, more heedful of all that I see and hear and feel, more removed from the hubbub, more internal."
s, two Pacific NW Booksellers Book Awards, and two Oregon Book Award
s. His essays have been reprinted twice in The Best American Essays
, The Best American Science Writing, and The Best Spiritual Writing, as well as once in The Best Food Writing and The Art of the Essay.
In May 2006 he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Franklin & Marshall College. In January 2010, Poets & Writers, Inc. named him one of fifty of the most inspiring authors in the world.
Life
Skloot received a B.A from Franklin & Marshall CollegeFranklin & Marshall College
Franklin & Marshall College is a four-year private co-educational residential national liberal arts college in the Northwest Corridor neighborhood of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States....
and an M.A. in English at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
, where he studied with the Irish poet Thomas Kinsella
Thomas Kinsella
Thomas Kinsella is an Irish poet, translator, editor, and publisher.-Early life and work:Kinsella was born in Lucan, County Dublin. He spent much of his childhood with relatives in rural Ireland. He was educated in the Irish language at the Model School, Inchicore and the O'Connell Christian...
. A New Yorker, Skloot moved to Portland, Oregon in 1984. He is married to painter Beverly Hallberg, who specializes in both abstract and impressionist landscapes, and is the father of the bestselling non-fiction writer Rebecca Skloot
Rebecca Skloot
Rebecca L. Skloot is a freelance science writer who specializes in science and medicine. Her first book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks , was one of the best-selling new books of the year, staying on the New York Times Bestseller List for over 32 weeks and optioned to be made into a movie by...
, whose work includes The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a non-fiction book by American author Rebecca Skloot. It is about Henrietta Lacks and the immortal cell line, known as HeLa, that came from her cervical cancer cells in 1951. The book is notable for its accessible science writing and dealing with ethical...
. Skloot and Hallberg live in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
Skloot is the author of seventeen books, including the memoirs In the Shadow of Memory (2003) and The Wink of the Zenith: The Shaping of a Writer's Life (2008). He has contributed to publications including The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic Monthly
The Atlantic is an American magazine founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1857. It was created as a literary and cultural commentary magazine. It quickly achieved a national reputation, which it held for more than a century. It was important for recognizing and publishing new writers and poets,...
, Harper's
Harpers Magazine
Harpers Wine and Spirit Trade Review or simply Harpers is a British fortnightly publication for the wine and spirit industry. Founded in 1878, it has a circulation of 5,224 fully subscribed readers. It is read across all sectors of the drinks industry including producers, distributors,...
, Poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, The Sewanee Review, Southern Review
Southern Review
The Southern Review, a literary journal co-founded in 1935 by Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brooks and located on the campus of Louisiana State University, publishes fiction, poetry, critical essays, interviews, book reviews, and excerpts from novels in progress by established and emerging writers...
, Virginia Quarterly Review, Hudson Review, Boulevard, and Southwest Review
Southwest Review
The Southwest Review is a literary journal published quarterly, based on the Southern Methodist University campus in Dallas, Texas. It is the third oldest literary quarterly in the United States of America . The current editor-in-chief is Willard Spiegelman.The journal was formerly known as the...
. His book reviews frequently appear in the Boston Globe,New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Harvard Review
Harvard Review
The Harvard Review is a literary magazine published by the Harvard University library system.Its origins can be dated to 1986, when Stratis Haviaras, the curator of the libraries' poetry room founded a magazine called Erato to publicize poetry room authors.The first issue included a poem by Seamus...
. Skloot and his daughter co-edited The Best American Science Writing 2011 for HarperCollins/Ecco, to be published in September 2011. He will publish his first collection of short stories in September 2011, "Cream of Kohlrabi," from Tupelo Press and in 2012, he will publish "Close Reading," his seventh book of poetry, also from Tupelo Press.
Living with brain damage
In 1988, Floyd Skloot contracted a virus that targeted his brain and severely impacted his ability to perform the most basic of daily activities. "After putting the leftover chicken in a plastic bag, I stick it back in the oven instead of the refrigerator. I put the freshly cleaned pan in the refrigerator, which is how I figure out that I must have put the chicken someplace else because it's missing. I pick up a chef's knife by its blade." Brain damage had also affected his ability to connect names to faces, follow directions, and he now uses a cane to assist in his loss of balance. Because of his ailment, Skloot's essays may take up to two years to fully complete and is done so in pieces or incomplete segments over time. Nonetheless, the completion of a poem, essay, or a piece of fiction leaves Skloot feeling as though he has overcome the offense (brain damageBrain damage
"Brain damage" or "brain injury" is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. Brain injuries occur due to a wide range of internal and external factors...
) that he has described as the means to silence his "ability to concentrate and remember, to spell or conceptualize, to express myself, to think." Being that every creative thought only comes at spontaneous moments, Skloot must use his full amount of careful concentration to grasp these ideas and shape them to fit into his work. Whereas before brain damage he would listen to jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music while writing, he now finds it tremendously distracting along with any and all of the most minute noises.
Now in his 60s, Skloot confronts the question if he will ever "get better" by simply stating that he will never be the man that he was; that he has learned to perceive the world more clearly and slowly since his ailment. In his memoir, In the Shadow of Memory, Skloot explains "I have changed. I have learned to live and live richly as I am now. Slowed down, softer, more heedful of all that I see and hear and feel, more removed from the hubbub, more internal."
Honors and awards
Skloot has received the PEN USA Literary Award in Creative Nonfiction, three Pushcart PrizePushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
s, two Pacific NW Booksellers Book Awards, and two Oregon Book Award
Oregon Book Award
The Oregon Book Awards are presented annually by Literary Arts, Inc. for "the finest accomplishments by Oregon writers who work in genres of poetry, fiction, literary nonfiction, drama and young readers literature." -History:...
s. His essays have been reprinted twice in The Best American Essays
The Best American Essays
The Best American Essays is a yearly anthology of magazine articles published in the United States. It was started in 1986 and is now part of The Best American Series published by Houghton Mifflin...
, The Best American Science Writing, and The Best Spiritual Writing, as well as once in The Best Food Writing and The Art of the Essay.
In May 2006 he received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Franklin & Marshall College. In January 2010, Poets & Writers, Inc. named him one of fifty of the most inspiring authors in the world.
Creative Nonfiction
- The Night Side published by Story Line Press in 1996.
- In the Shadow of Memory published by University of Nebraska Press in 2003.
- The World of Light published by University of Nebraska Press in 2005.
- The Wink of the Zenith: The Shaping of a Writer's Life published by University of Nebraska Press in 2008.
Poetry collections
- Music Appreciation published by University Press of Florida. 1994
- The Fiddler's Trance published by Bucknell University Press. 2001
- The Evening Light published by Story Line Press. 2001
- Approximately Paradise published by Tupelo Press. 2005
- The End of Dreams published by Louisiana State Univ. Press. 2006
- Selected Poems: 1970-2005 published by Tupelo Press. 2008
- The Snow's Music published by Louisiana State Univ. Press 2008
- Close Reading forthcoming from Tupelo Press. 2012
Fiction
- Pilgrim's Harbor a novel published by Story Line Press. 1992
- Summer Blue a novel published by Story Line Press. 1994
- The Open Door a novel published by Story Line Press. 1997
- Patient 002 a novel published by Rager Media. 2007
- Cream of Kohlrabi short stories forthcoming from Tupelo Press. September 2011
As editor
- "The Best American Science Writing 2011, co-edited with Rebecca Skloot, published by HarperCollins/Ecco Press. September 2011