Aracelis Girmay (born December 10, 1977) is an American poet. She is the author of three poetry collections, including ''Kingdom Animalia'' (2011), a finalist for the

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".Hampshire College Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mo ...

Early life

Aracelis Girmay is of Eritrean heritage and from Santa Ana, California. She attended

Connecticut College Connecticut College (Conn College or Conn) is a private liberal arts college in New London, Connecticut. It is a residential, four-year undergraduate institution with nearly all of its approximately 1,815 students living on campus. The college w ...

and earned a Master of Fine Arts from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

Career

Girmay's first collection was ''Teeth'' (2007), for which she won the

Great Lakes Colleges Association The Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) is a consortium of 13 liberal arts colleges located in the states around the Great Lakes. The GLCA's offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and its 13 schools are located in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylva ...

New Writers Award. In 2011, Girmay published ''Kingdom Animalia'', for which she was named a finalist for the

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".The Rumpus ''The Rumpus'' is an online literary magazine launched on January 20, 2009. The site features interviews, book reviews, essays, comics, and critiques of creative culture as well as original fiction and poetry. The site runs two subscription-base ...

'',

Camille T. Dungy Camille T. Dungy (born 1972) is an American poet and professor. Career Born in Denver, Colorado, Dungy graduated from Stanford University (BA) and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, where she earned her MFA. She is the author of four ...

said, "Girmay writes of ways we can be brought together, and ways the world separates us."

Junot Diaz Junot is a French name that may refer to the following notable people: ;Given name *Junot Díaz (born 1968), Dominican American ;Surname * Laure Junot, Duchess of Abrantes (1784–1838), French writer * Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st Duke of Abrantès (17 ...

has said his favorite poem is ''Kingdom Animalias titular poem, writing in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'':

I remember rereading these lines shortly after I lost my sister: :''Oh, body, be held now by whom you love.'' :''Whole years will be spent, underneath these impossible stars,'' :''when dirt’s the only animal who will sleep with you'' :''& touch you with'' :''its mouth.'' And I was never the same.

''The Black Maria'' (2016) was Girmay's third collection. Selecting ''The Black Maria'' as a "Pick of the Week" in April 2016, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' described it as "a moving collection of lyrical, image-thick poems that balance on the knife edge separating vulnerability and unapologetic strength." ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' named it one of the best books of 2016. Girmay is an Assistant Professor of Poetry at

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mo ...

Awards

2009 winner, Great Lakes Colleges Association New Writers Award * 2011 finalist, National Book Critics Circle Award, poetry, for ''Kingdom Animalia'' * 2015 winner, Whiting Award for poetry

Works

* ''Teeth'' Willimantic, CT: Curbstone Press, 2007. , * ''Changing, changing'', New York: George Braziller, 2005. , * ''Kingdom animalia : poems'', Rochester, NY: Boa Editions, 2011. , * ''The Black Maria'' Rochester, NY: BOA Editions Ltd. 2016. ,

References

External links

Interview with Aracelis Grimay
at the ''

Boston Review ''Boston Review'' is an American quarterly political and literary magazine. It publishes political, social, and historical analysis, literary and cultural criticism, book reviews, fiction, and poetry, both online and in print. Its signature form ...

''
Girmay Interview
by Claire Schwartz at the ''Bennington Review'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Girmay, Aracelis 21st-century poets Living people African-American poets American women poets 1977 births Connecticut College alumni 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American poets New York University alumni American people of Eritrean descent 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women African-American women writers