Joseph O. Legaspi is an American poet. He is the author of two full length poetry collections and two full-length poetry chapbooks. With the poet

Sarah Gambito Sarah Gambito is an American poet and professor. She is the author of three collections of poetry, ''Loves You'' (Persea Books, 2019), ''Delivered'' (Persea Books, 2009), and ''Matadora'' (Alice James Books, 2004). Her first collection, ''Matadora ...

, he cofounded

Kundiman Kundiman is a genre of traditional Filipino ballads, predominantly with romantic themes. The lyrics of the kundiman are written in Tagalog. The melody is characterized by a smooth, flowing and gentle rhythm with dramatic intervals. Kundima ...

, a national nonprofit organization that nurtures generations of writers and readers of Asian American literature. He is a juror of the

Neustadt International Prize for Literature The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is a biennial award for literature sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and its international literary publication, ''World Literature Today''. It is considered one of the more prestigious int ...

Early life and education

Joseph O. Legaspi earned a bachelor of arts degree from

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...

and a master's in fine arts from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

Career

Joseph O. Legaspi received a poetry fellowship from the

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

. His poem "Ode to My Mother's Hair" was anthologized in '' Language for a New Century'' (W.W. Norton). In 2016, his poem "Somebody" appeared in Poem-A-Day from the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outrea ...

. In April 2019, ''

Orion Magazine ''Orion'' is an advertisement-free nonprofit quarterly magazine focused on nature, culture, and place addressing environmental and social issue A social issue is a problem that affects many people within a society. It is a group of common pr ...

'' chose Legaspi's poem "The Three Sparrows" as one of its top seven works for

National Poetry Month National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry which takes place each April, was introduced in 1996 and is organized by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. The Academy of Am ...

. Legaspi lives and works in New York City, where he serves on the faculty of

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

's Creative Writing Program.

Early life and education

Joseph O. Legaspi was born and raised in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

; his family immigrated to Los Angeles when he was 12. He earned a BA at

and an MFA from New York University.

Works

* ''Imago,''

Cavankerry Press Cavankerry Press is an American nonprofit literary press located in Fort Lee, New Jersey, which publishes poetry and nonfiction. Cavankerry Press is a member of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, has thrice received a Citation of E ...

2007. ,
Subways (Thrush Press 2013)
* ''Aviary Bestiary'', Detroit, MI : Organic Weapon Arts, 2014. , *''Threshold'',

2017. , * ''Postcards'', Massapequa, NY : Ghostbird Press, 2019.

Awards

Global Filipino Literary Award Global may refer to: General *Globe, a spherical model of celestial bodies *Earth, the third planet from the Sun Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 198 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Legaspi, Joseph Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male poets Filipino emigrants to the United States Loyola Marymount University alumni New York University alumni Poets from New York (state)