Laura Kasischke is an American fiction writer and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. She is best known for writing the novels ''

Suspicious River ''Suspicious River'' is a 2000 Canadian drama film directed by Lynne Stopkewich, based on a novel by Laura Kasischke, and starring Molly Parker and Callum Keith Rennie. Its plot follows a young woman in 1981 who begins prostituting herself and ...

'', ''

The Life Before Her Eyes ''The Life Before Her Eyes'' is a 2007 American psychological drama film directed by Vadim Perelman. The screenplay was adapted by Emil Stern from the Laura Kasischke novel of the same name. The film stars Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Th ...

'' and '' White Bird in a Blizzard'', all of which have been adapted to film.

Life and work

She was born in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

. Kasischke attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

(MFA 1987) and Columbia University. She lives in

Chelsea, Michigan Chelsea is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,467 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The area was first settled as early as 1820 within the Michigan Terri ...

, with her husband and son. She is the Theodore Roethke Distinguished University Professor of English Language and Literature, and of the Residential College at the University of Michigan in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

. Kasischke's literary works have been recognized and highlighted at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

in their Michigan Writers Series. Her novel ''The Life Before Her Eyes'' is the basis for the film of the same name, directed by

Vadim Perelman Vadim Perelman (; born 8 September 1963) is a Ukrainians , Ukrainian-Canadians, Canadian-Americans, American film director. Perelman made his feature film directorial debut in 2003 with ''House of Sand and Fog (film), House of Sand and Fog'', fol ...

and starring

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...

and

Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She began acting in the 1990s, a ...

. Kasischke's work is particularly well received in France, where she is widely read in translation. Her novel ''A moi pour toujours'' (''Be Mine'') was published by Christian Bourgois, and was a national best seller. Her most recent book of poetry, ''Where Now - New and Selected Poems'', was published in 2017 by

Copper Canyon Press Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 by Sam Hamill, Tree Swenson, Bill O'Daly, and Jim Gautney, specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. It is located in Port Townsend, Washington. Copper C ...

Awards

Kasischke was awarded the 2011

National Book Critics Circle Award The National Book Critics Circle Awards are a set of annual American literary awards by the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) to promote "the finest books and reviews published in English".Poetry Society of America Poetry (from the Greek word '' poiesis'', "making") is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, literal or surface-level meanings. Any partic ...

, 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 ...

, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Award for Emerging Writers, and the Beatrice Hawley Award. She is the recipient of two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2005 she was The Frost Place poet in residence and in 2009 she was awarded a

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

in Creative Arts - Poetry She received the 2014

Grand prix des lectrices de Elle The Grand prix des lectrices de Elle is a French literary prize awarded by readers of ''Elle'' magazine. History Unlike other literary prizes that have professionals for their juries and selection committees, the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle i ...

Bibliography

Poetry

* * * ''Fire and Flower'' (

Alice James Books Alice James Books is an American non-profit poetry press located in New Gloucester, Maine. History and mission "Alice James Books was founded as a co-operative press in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, MA in 1973 by five women and two men: ...

, 1998) * ''What It Wasn't'' (Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2002) * * * * * The Infinitesimals (

, 2014) * Where Now: New and Selected Poems (

, 2017)

Fiction

Novels

* * * * * ''Be Mine'' (Mariner Books, 2007) * * * * *

Short story collections

Short stories

Screenplays

*''

References

External links

''The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor > Bike Ride with Older Boys'' by Laura Kasischke

''Boston Review'' > Review by Stephen Burt of ''Lilies Without'' by Laura Kasischke

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasischke, Laura Living people 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers University of Michigan faculty American women novelists American women poets National Endowment for the Arts Fellows The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction people University of Michigan alumni Novelists from Michigan Columbia University alumni 21st-century American poets Poets from Michigan Writers from Grand Rapids, Michigan 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American women writers American women academics Year of birth missing (living people)