Ross Gay (born August 1, 1974) is an

American poet The poets listed below were either born in the United States or else published much of their poetry while living in that country. A B C D E F G H I–J K L M N O P Q * George Quasha (born 1942) R S T U–V ...

, essayist, and professor who won the

National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry The National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry, established in 1975 is an annual American literary award presented by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English." Awards are presented an ...

and the

Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award The Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards are a pair of American prizes based at Claremont Graduate University. They are given to poets for their collections of poetry written in the English language, by a citizen or legal resident alien of the ...

for his 2014 book ''Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude'', which was also a finalist for the

National Book Award for Poetry The National Book Award for Poetry is one of five annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers".

Life

Ross Gay was born on August 1, 1974 in

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...

, but he grew up in

Levittown, Pennsylvania Levittown is a census-designated place (CDP) and planned community in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area. The population was 52,983 at the 2010 ...

. He received his B.A. from

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

, his MFA in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College, and his Ph.D. in American Literature from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

. He is a founding editor, with Karissa Chen and Patrick Rosal, of the online sports magazine ''Some Call it Ballin''. He is also an editor with the chapbook presses Q Avenue and Ledge Mule Press. He is a founding board member of the Bloomington Community Orchard, a non-profit, free-fruit-for-all

food justice The Food Justice Movement is a grassroots initiative which emerged in response to food insecurity and economic pressures that prevent access to healthy, nutritious, and culturally appropriate foods (food should fit the cultural background of the p ...

and joy project. He has taught poetry, art, and literature at

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river that joins the Delaware R ...

, and

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He now teaches at Indiana University (Bloomington), Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and the low-residency MFA in poetry program at Drew University. His poems have appeared in literary journals and magazines including ''The American Poetry Review''; ''Harvard Review''; ''Columbia: A Journal of Poetry''; ''Art, Margie: The American Journal of Poetry''; and ''Atlanta Review''. His poetry has also appeared in anthologies including ''From the Fishouse'' (Persea Books, 2009). His essays have appeared in ''The Paris Review''. His honors include being a Cave Canem Workshop fellow and a Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Bread Loaf Writers Conference Tuition Scholar, and he received a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Pennsylvania Council of the Arts.

Awards and honors

*2015 National Book Award for Poetry, finalist for ''Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude'' *2016 National Book Critics Circle Award (Poetry), winner for ''Catalogue of Unabashed Gratitude'' *2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, winner for ''Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude''

Works

* * * * * * * * In anthology *

Appearances on reality television shows

* ''A Dating Story,'' Episode 110: Jason, Brooke O'Harra, Brooke and Ross

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay, Ross 1974 births 21st-century American poets American male poets Lafayette College alumni Living people People from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Poets from Pennsylvania Poets from Indiana Sarah Lawrence College alumni Temple University alumni Writers from Youngstown, Ohio Writers from Bloomington, Indiana 21st-century American male writers Lafayette College faculty Montclair State University faculty Indiana University faculty Drew University faculty