Jon Anderson (poet)
Encyclopedia
Jon Victor Anderson was an American poet
.
Anderson's first book, Looking for Jonathan, was an inaugural selection of the Pitt Poetry Series
of the University of Pittsburgh Press
in 1967. His second, Death & Friends, was nominated for the National Book Award
.
He won a Guggenheim Fellowship
from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
in 1976; the Shelley Memorial Award
from Poetry Society of America
in 1983 for career achievement; and a National Endowment for the Arts
fellowship in poetry in 1986.
Born July 4 in Somerville
, Massachusetts
, to Henry Victor and Frances (Ladd) Anderson, he earned a BS
from Northeastern University (1964) and a MFA
from the Iowa Writers' Workshop
at the University of Iowa
(1968).
He began his teaching career at the University of Portland
1968-72 as an instructor, becoming an assistant professor of creative writing. He was assistant professor of creative writing at Ohio University
1972-73, the University of Pittsburgh
1973-76, and University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1976-77. At the University of Arizona
he served as associate professor from 1978 until his retirement. On February, 2008 they held a tribute reading.
Poets who studied under Anderson include Agha Shahid Ali
, Michael Collier, Stuart Dischell
, Loren Goodman
, Tony Hoagland
, Peter Oresick
, David Rivard, and David Wojahn
.
He married Nancy Garland in 1964; married his second wife, Linda Baker, in 1967; and married third wife, Barbara Hershkowitz in 1971, with whom he had one son, Bodi Orlen Anderson.
Anderson died on October 20, 2007, in Tucson
, Arizona
, after several weeks of illness. He was cremated and his ashes spread, according to his wishes, in the woods outside of Flagstaff, Arizona
.
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...
.
Anderson's first book, Looking for Jonathan, was an inaugural selection of the Pitt Poetry Series
Pitt Poetry Series
The Pitt Poetry Series, published by the University of Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, is one of the largest and best known lists of contemporary American poetry.-History:...
of the University of Pittsburgh Press
University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
in 1967. His second, Death & Friends, was nominated for the National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
.
He won a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
in 1976; the Shelley Memorial Award
Shelley Memorial Award
The Shelley Memorial Award of more than $3,500, given out by the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of the late Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need. The selection is...
from 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...
in 1983 for career achievement; and a National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
fellowship in poetry in 1986.
Born July 4 in Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, to Henry Victor and Frances (Ladd) Anderson, he earned a BS
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
from Northeastern University (1964) and a MFA
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...
from the Iowa Writers' Workshop
Iowa Writers' Workshop
The Program in Creative Writing, more commonly known as the Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, is a highly regarded graduate-level creative writing program in the United States...
at 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...
(1968).
He began his teaching career at the University of Portland
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
1968-72 as an instructor, becoming an assistant professor of creative writing. He was assistant professor of creative writing at Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
1972-73, the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
1973-76, and University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1976-77. At the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
he served as associate professor from 1978 until his retirement. On February, 2008 they held a tribute reading.
Poets who studied under Anderson include Agha Shahid Ali
Agha Shahid Ali
Agha Shahid Ali was a Kashmiri American poet...
, Michael Collier, Stuart Dischell
Stuart Dischell
Stuart Dischell is an American poet and Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he teaches in the Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing. He is also a contributing editor at The Alaska Quarterly Review....
, Loren Goodman
Loren Goodman
Loren Goodman is an American postmodern poet and assistant professor of English literature and creative writing at Underwood International College, Yonsei University, in Seoul, South Korea.-Biography and Education:...
, Tony Hoagland
Tony Hoagland
Anthony Dey Hoagland is an American poet and writer. His poetry collection 2003, What Narcissism Means to Me, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Other honors include two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a 2000 Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry, and a...
, Peter Oresick
Peter Oresick
Peter Oresick is an American poet and Associate Professor of English at Chatham University, where he directs the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program...
, David Rivard, and David Wojahn
David Wojahn
David Wojahn is a contemporary American poet who teaches poetry in the Department of English at Virginia Commonwealth University, and in the low residency MFA in Writing program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts...
.
He married Nancy Garland in 1964; married his second wife, Linda Baker, in 1967; and married third wife, Barbara Hershkowitz in 1971, with whom he had one son, Bodi Orlen Anderson.
Anderson died on October 20, 2007, in Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, after several weeks of illness. He was cremated and his ashes spread, according to his wishes, in the woods outside of Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
.
Works
- Looking for Jonathan, poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1968)
- Death & Friends, poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1970)
- In Sepia, poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1974)
- Counting the Days, poetry (Lisbon: Penumbra, 1974)
- Cypresses, poetry (Port Townsend: Graywolf Press, 1981)
- The Milky Way: Poems 1967-1982, poetry (New York: Ecco Press, 1983)
- Day Moon, poetry (Pittsburgh: Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2001)