Catherine Davis (1924–2002) was 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 in poetry, 1942)
R
...
. Born in
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
,
she studied poetry with
J. V. Cunningham
James Vincent Cunningham (August 23, 1911 – March 30, 1985) was an American poet, literary critic and teacher.
Background
Cunningham is described as a neo-classicist or anti-modernist. His poetry was distinguished by its clarity, brevity and t ...
at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
, and, at
Stanford University
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...
, with
Yvor Winters
Arthur Yvor Winters (October 17, 1900 – January 25, 1968) was an American poet and literary critic.
Life
Winters was born in Chicago, Illinois and lived there until 1919 except for brief stays in Seattle and Pasadena, where his grandparents ...
, graduating in 1951.
Davis received her bachelor's degree from
George Washington University
The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
in 1961, at the age of 37, and subsequently joined the
University of Iowa's prestigious
creative writing program.
[ The poet ]Donald Justice
Donald Rodney Justice (August 12, 1925 – August 6, 2004) was an American poet and teacher of creative writing who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1980.
Early life and education
Justice was born on August 12, 1925, in Miami. He attended the ...
, whom she met while at Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
, was a lifelong champion of her work.[ ]UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
poet Edgar Bowers compared her work favorably to that of Dorothy Parker
Dorothy Parker (née Rothschild; August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet and writer of fiction, plays and screenplays based in New York; she was known for her caustic wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles.
Parker ros ...
.[ Davis held the ]Stegner Fellowship
The Stegner Fellowship program is a two-year creative writing fellowship at Stanford University. The award is named after American Wallace Stegner (1909–1993), a historian, novelist, short story writer, environmentalist, and Stanford faculty m ...
in Creative Writing at Stanford.Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
. She died intestate, leaving the copyrights to her works in limbo.[
]
Publications
Davis published four works:[
* ''The Leaves: Lyrics and Epigrams'' (Bembo Press, 1960)
* ''Second Beginnings & Other Poems'' (The King’s Quair Press, 1961)
* ''Under This Lintel'' (King’s Quair Press, 1962)
* ''Looking In and Looking Out'' (R. L. Barth,1999).
]
References
External links
Stanford Magazine article on Catherine Davis
1924 births
2002 deaths
Stanford University alumni
American women poets
20th-century American poets
20th-century American women writers
University of Chicago alumni
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