Jan Beatty is an American poet. She is a recipient of the
Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
The Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize is a major United States, American literary award for a first full-length book of poetry in the English language.
This prize of the University of Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Penn ...
, the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry, and the Creative Achievement Award in Literature.
Life
Born in 1952 in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, she received her
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
from the
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...
and her
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...
from the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
. She currently resides in
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, with her husband, musician Don Hollowood.
Her most recent poetry collection is ''The Switching/Yard'' (
University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The press ...
, 2013), and her poems have appeared in literary journals and magazines including ''Quarterly West'', ''Gulf Coast'', ''Indiana Review'', and ''Court Green'', and in anthologies published by Oxford University Press, University of Illinois Press, and University of Iowa Press. Her honors include fellowships from the
Ucross Foundation
The Ucross Foundation, located in Ucross, Wyoming, is a nonprofit organization that operates a retreat for visual artists, writers, composers, and choreographers working in all creative disciplines.
History
Founded in 1981 by Raymond Plank, U ...
, the
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts {{Short description, American arts agency in the state of Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) is an agency serving the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Its mission is to strengthen the cultural, educational, and economic vitality of P ...
, and
Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March ...
. She was awarded the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry from the Tulsa Arts and Humanities Council in 1990, and the $15,000 Creative Achievement Award in Literature from the
Heinz
The Kraft Heinz Foods Company, formerly the H. J. Heinz Company and commonly known as Heinz (), is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. ...
Foundation. Her first book, ''Mad River'', won the
Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
The Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize is a major United States, American literary award for a first full-length book of poetry in the English language.
This prize of the University of Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Penn ...
of the
University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The press ...
in 1994.
Some of Beatty's poetry, considered sexually explicit, led to problems with a scheduled reading at
Joseph-Beth Booksellers in April 2008.
Beatty currently heads the writing program at
Carlow University
Carlow University is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1929 by the Sisters of Mercy. The university's athletic teams are known as the Celtics, reflecting its Irish heritage. As of 2017 ...
, where she also directs the Madwomen in the Attic Writing Workshop. She has also taught creative writing at the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...
. Along with Ellen Wadey, Beatty hosts and produces ''Prosody'', a weekly radio program featuring the work of national writers.
Published works
*''American Bastard'', poetry (
Red Hen Press
Red Hen Press is an American non-profit press located in Pasadena, California, and specializing in the publication of poetry, literary fiction, and nonfiction. The press is a member of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, and was a fin ...
, 2021)
Red Hen Press Website , Authors , Jan Beatty, ''American Bastard''
/ref>
* ''The Body Wars'', poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The press ...
, 2020).
* ''Jackknife: New and Selected Poems'', poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The press ...
, 2017).
* ''The Switching/Yard'', poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The press ...
, 2013).
* ''Ravage'', poetry chapbook (Lefty Blondie Press, 2012).
* ''Red Sugar'', poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The press ...
, 2008).
* ''Boneshaker'', poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The press ...
, 2002).
* ''Mad River'', poetry (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press
The University of Pittsburgh Press is a scholarly publishing house and a major American university press, part of the University of Pittsburgh. The university and the press are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
The press ...
, 1995).
* ''Ravenous'', poetry chapbook (Brockport, NY: State Street Press, 1995).
Honors and awards
* 1994 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize
The Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize is a major United States, American literary award for a first full-length book of poetry in the English language.
This prize of the University of Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Penn ...
* 1990 Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry from the Tulsa Arts and Humanities Council
* Creative Achievement Award in Literature from the H. J. Heinz Foundation
References
Bibliography
''Contemporary Authors Online''. The Gale Group, 2007. PEN (Permanent Entry Number): 0000074923.
External links
JanBeatty.com
Curriculum Vitae
Bookstore and poet in war of words over reading
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatty, Jan
1952 births
Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize winners
Poets from Pennsylvania
Living people
University of Pittsburgh alumni
Writers from Pittsburgh
American women poets
21st-century American poets
21st-century American women writers