Turner Cassity
Encyclopedia
Turner Cassity was an American poet
, playwright
, and short story writer.
He grew up in Jackson and Forest, Mississippi
.
He graduated from Millsaps College
and Stanford University
with a master's degree.
From 1952 to 1954, he was drafted and stationed in Puerto Rico
.
He attended Columbia University
on the GI Bill, and received a master's degree in library science in 1955.
and then moved to South Africa
.
He worked at the Robert W. Woodruff Library at Emory University
, from 1962 to 1991, and also taught poetry there.
He also cofounded the Callanwolde Readings Program, which highlights poets and writers, with poet Michael Mott
.
He is buried in Forest, Mississippi
.
His papers are at Emory University
.
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...
, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, and short story writer.
Life
He was the son of Dorothy and Allen Cassity.He grew up in Jackson and Forest, Mississippi
Forest, Mississippi
Forest is a city in Scott County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,987 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Scott County.-Geography:Forest is located at ....
.
He graduated from Millsaps College
Millsaps College
Millsaps College is a private liberal arts college located in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded in 1890, the college is recognized as one of the country's best private colleges dedicated to undergraduate teaching and educating the whole individual. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, Millsaps...
and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
with a master's degree.
From 1952 to 1954, he was drafted and stationed in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
He attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
on the GI Bill, and received a master's degree in library science in 1955.
and then moved to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
He worked at the Robert W. Woodruff Library at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
, from 1962 to 1991, and also taught poetry there.
He also cofounded the Callanwolde Readings Program, which highlights poets and writers, with poet Michael Mott
Michael Mott
Michael Mott is the author of ten poetry collections, four novels and a best-selling biography of Thomas Merton.- Life and career :...
.
He is buried in Forest, Mississippi
Forest, Mississippi
Forest is a city in Scott County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,987 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Scott County.-Geography:Forest is located at ....
.
His papers are at Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
.
Awards
- Georgia Author of the Year Award from the Georgia Writers Association.
- Levinson Prize for Poetry, for Devils and Islands
- Michael Braude Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
- Ingram Merrill Foundation Award
- National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe 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...
grant.
Ploughshares
Reviews
Devils & Islands, Cassity’s 10th collection, reinforces the image of the dapper Southerner as a satirist, and, in the words of National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia, ’73, MBA ’77, perhaps “the most brilliantly eccentric poet in America.”