Cortney Lance Bledsoe (born May 14, 1976) is an American writer, poet, and

book reviewer A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is merely described (summary review) or analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review may be a primary source, an opinion piece, a summary review, or a scholarly view. B ...

. He has published eight books and hundreds of short stories, poems, essays, short plays, and reviews in many literary journals and

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

. Bledsoe has been nominated for the

Pushcart Prize The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are ...

ten times, Best of the Net twice, and won the ''Blue Collar Review''’s Working People’s Poetry Contest in 2004. He currently lives outside

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Early life

Bledsoe was born in

Wynne, Arkansas Wynne is the largest city in and the county seat of Cross County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 8,314 at the 2020 Census. Nestled between the Arkansas Delta and Crowley's Ridge, Wynne is the closest city to the second-largest stat ...

and grew up on a working rice farm. In addition to rice,

soybeans The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source of f ...

milo Milo may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Milo (magazine), ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine * ''Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg * Milo (video game), ''Milo'' (video game) * Milo ( ...

, and other crops, his family raised and sold cattle,

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order (biology), order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Catfish are common name, named for their prominent barbel (anatomy), barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, though not ...

, and buffalo fish. His mother suffered from

Huntington's disease Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that is mostly Genetic disorder#Autosomal dominant, inherited. It typically presents as a triad of progressive psychiatric, cognitive, and ...

. Bledsoe’s experiences on his family’s farm and his mother’s illness greatly influenced his writing, especially his early poetry, much of which has been collected in Riceland.

Education

In high school, Bledsoe co-founded a

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band, alternately called Maria Static, and later Shizknit. They performed sporadically around Arkansas before breaking up in 2001. Bledsoe received a Bachelor’s in Arts with a focus in Creative Writing from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...

in 2005. While there, he worked as an editor for ''Exposure: the University of Arkansas’ Literary and Visual Arts Journal'' (now defunct). He received a Master’s of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from

Hollins University Hollins University is a private university in Hollins, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1842 as Valley Union Seminary in the historical settlement of Botetourt Springs, Virginia, Botetourt Springs, it is Timeline of women's colleges in the Un ...

in 2008 and worked as an assistant poetry editor, and later assistant editor, for the ''Hollins Critic''. While at Hollins, he cofounded ''Ghoti Magazine'' and was head editor until the journal ceased publication in 2010.

List of works

Poetry

* ''Anthem'' (Cervena Barva Press 2009) * ''_____(Want/Need)'' (Plan B Press, 2009) * ''Leap Year'' (Red Ceilings Press, 2011) * ''Riceland'' (Unbound Content, 2013)

Fiction

* ''Naming the Animals, collected stories'' (Mary Celeste Press, 2011) * ''Last Stand in Zombietown'' (Damnation Press, 2013) * ''Sunlight'' (Etopia Press, 2012) * ''Necro-Files: $7.50/hr + Curses'' (Etopia Press, 2013) * ''Necro-Files: Bloody Sexy'' (Etopia Press, 2014) * ''Necro-Files: Tall, Dark, & Hairy'' (Etopia Press, 2015) * ''Sorting the Dead'' (Damnation Press, 2015) * ''Man of Clay'' (Main Street Rag Press, 2015)

Reception

In a review in ''Neon'', Christopher Frost called _____ (Want/Need) “complex and elegant”. In a recent review in the ''Arkansas Review'', Monica Hooper called ''Anthem'' “a brilliant, but humble, collection of poetry that reflects a long-awaited shift in Southern Poetry” (40,3). “Leaving the Garden” from ''Naming the Animals'' was selected as a Notable Story of 2008 by Story South's Million Readers Award. His story "The Scream" was selected as a Notable Story of 2010 by Story South's Million Readers Award.

References

Poets from Arkansas 1976 births Living people 21st-century American poets {{US-poet-1970s-stub