William Heyen
Encyclopedia
William Helmuth Heyen is an American
poet, editor, and literary critic. He was born in Brooklyn
, New York
, and raised in Suffolk County
. He received a BA from the State University of New York at Brockport
; he earned a doctorate in English from Ohio University
in 1967.
He taught American literature and creative writing at his undergraduate alma mater for over 30 years before retiring in 2000. He also briefly served as Director of the Brockport Writers Forum
, a series of readings by and video interviews with numerous American and international authors.
His work has been published in numerous literary journals and periodicals, including The New Yorker
, The Ontario Review, Harper's, TriQuarterly
, The Georgia Review
, Poetry
, American Poetry Review, The Southern Review and online publications such as Exit-Online. His work has also been published in 200 anthologies, in dozens of limited-edition chapbooks and broadsides, and on audio.
He spent the 1971-1972 academic year as a Senior Fulbright Lecturer in American literature at the University of Hanover in what was then West Germany
. During this time, he visited a number of sites involved in the Holocaust. These experiences, combined with his own family history (including an uncle who served in the German army), resulted in three volumes of poetry on the subject published over the next 32 years. He has been awarded NEA, Guggenheim, American Academy & Institute of Arts & Letters, and other prizes.
Prior to the publication of his first collection, a privately-printed ephemeral edition of the poem "The Mower," including several drafts, was printed in softcover. The final version of "The Mower" appeared in his first collection, Depth of Field (1970). Other collections are Noise in the Trees (1974), The Swastika Poems (1977), Long Island Light (1979), Erika: Poems of the Holocaust (1984), Pterodactyl Rose (1991), Crazy Horse In Stillness (1995), Pig Notes & Dumb Music: Prose on Poetry (1998), Diana, Charles, & the Queen (1998), Shoah Train (2003), which was a finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry in 2004, and most recently The Angel Voices (2010). He also authored a novel, Vic Holyfield and the Class of ’57 (1986). Selections of his poems have been translated into Italian (by poet Frank Judge
) and into German.
He edited two major collections of poetry, The Generation of 2000: Contemporary American Poets, and American Poets in 1976. He is also the editor of September 11, 2001: American Poets Respond (2002).
Many of his manuscripts, correspondence, and his collection of first editions of modern American authors are archived in the Rare Books Collection at University of Rochester
, at Boston University, at the Beinecke Library at Yale University
, and at the University of New Hampshire.
In 2004, he was one of the five finalists for the National Book Award
for poetry for his volume Shoah Train. Other volumes of the past few years are September 11, 2001: American Writers Respond (2002) a collection of short stories, The Hummingbird Corporation (2003, and a collection of 30 years of essays called Home: Autobiographies, etc. His most recent collections are Confessions of Doc Williams and Other Poems (2006) and Titanic & Iceberg: Early Essays and Reviews (2006).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet, editor, and literary critic. He was born in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and raised in Suffolk County
Suffolk County, New York
Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...
. He received a BA from the State University of New York at Brockport
State University of New York at Brockport
The College at Brockport: State University of New York, also known as SUNY Brockport, Brockport State, College at Brockport, or the State University of New York at Brockport, is a four-year liberal arts college located in Brockport, Monroe County, New York, United States, near Rochester...
; he earned a doctorate in English from Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
in 1967.
He taught American literature and creative writing at his undergraduate alma mater for over 30 years before retiring in 2000. He also briefly served as Director of the Brockport Writers Forum
Brockport Writers Forum
A series readings and interviews founded in 1967 at the State University of New York College at Brockport by Gregory FitzGerald, then as Associate Professor in the English Department. FitzGerald, a poet and fiction writer himself, was the first faculty member to teach a creative writing...
, a series of readings by and video interviews with numerous American and international authors.
His work has been published in numerous literary journals and periodicals, including The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, The Ontario Review, Harper's, TriQuarterly
TriQuarterly
TriQuarterly Online is a not-for-profit American literary magazine published twice a year at Northwestern University that features fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, literary essays, reviews, a blog, and graphic art....
, The Georgia Review
The Georgia Review
The Georgia Review is an award-winning, nationally respected literary journal founded in 1947 that includes poetry, art, fiction, essays and reviews. It won the National Magazine Award for Fiction in 1986 and the National Magazine Award for Essay in 2007...
, 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...
, American Poetry Review, The Southern Review and online publications such as Exit-Online. His work has also been published in 200 anthologies, in dozens of limited-edition chapbooks and broadsides, and on audio.
He spent the 1971-1972 academic year as a Senior Fulbright Lecturer in American literature at the University of Hanover in what was then West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. During this time, he visited a number of sites involved in the Holocaust. These experiences, combined with his own family history (including an uncle who served in the German army), resulted in three volumes of poetry on the subject published over the next 32 years. He has been awarded NEA, Guggenheim, American Academy & Institute of Arts & Letters, and other prizes.
Prior to the publication of his first collection, a privately-printed ephemeral edition of the poem "The Mower," including several drafts, was printed in softcover. The final version of "The Mower" appeared in his first collection, Depth of Field (1970). Other collections are Noise in the Trees (1974), The Swastika Poems (1977), Long Island Light (1979), Erika: Poems of the Holocaust (1984), Pterodactyl Rose (1991), Crazy Horse In Stillness (1995), Pig Notes & Dumb Music: Prose on Poetry (1998), Diana, Charles, & the Queen (1998), Shoah Train (2003), which was a finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry in 2004, and most recently The Angel Voices (2010). He also authored a novel, Vic Holyfield and the Class of ’57 (1986). Selections of his poems have been translated into Italian (by poet Frank Judge
Frank Judge
Frank Judge is an American poet, publisher, translator, journalist, film critic, teacher, and arts administrator.His work has appeared in numerous literary journals, including New Directions, The Greenfield Review, The New Orleans Review, The Belingham Review, , , Bitterroot, Invisible City, Blank...
) and into German.
He edited two major collections of poetry, The Generation of 2000: Contemporary American Poets, and American Poets in 1976. He is also the editor of September 11, 2001: American Poets Respond (2002).
Many of his manuscripts, correspondence, and his collection of first editions of modern American authors are archived in the Rare Books Collection at University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
, at Boston University, at the Beinecke Library at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, and at the University of New Hampshire.
In 2004, he was one of the five finalists 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...
for poetry for his volume Shoah Train. Other volumes of the past few years are September 11, 2001: American Writers Respond (2002) a collection of short stories, The Hummingbird Corporation (2003, and a collection of 30 years of essays called Home: Autobiographies, etc. His most recent collections are Confessions of Doc Williams and Other Poems (2006) and Titanic & Iceberg: Early Essays and Reviews (2006).
External links
- 1984 audio interview with William Heyen at Wired for Books.org by Don SwaimDon SwaimDon Swaim is an American journalist and broadcaster.Born in Kansas, Swaim earned a degree in broadcast journalism from Ohio University and worked as editor, writer, producer, reporter and anchor at WCBS in New York and CBS in Baltimore....
- Time Being Books, publisher of Erika, Pterodactyl Rose, The Host, Falling from Heaven, and Ribbons
- William Heyen Papers. Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.