Lee Upton (born June 2, 1953,

St. Johns, Michigan St. Johns or Saint Johns is the largest city and county seat of Clinton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,698 at the 2020 census. St. Johns is located in the north of Clinton County, surrounded by Bingham Township (alth ...

) is an American

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 ...

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

writer, and

literary critic A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature' ...

. She earned a BA in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

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 ...

br>
a Master of Fine Arts, master of fine arts (MFA) at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

's Program for Poets & Writers, and a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

at the

State University of New York at Binghamton The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public research university in Greater Binghamton, New York, United States. It is one of the four university centers in the State University of New Y ...

Life

She is the author of several books of

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

, and

literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...

, including ''The Muse of Abandonment'' (1998, Bucknell University Press), ''Civilian Histories'' (2000, University of Georgia Press), ''Undid in the Land of Undone'' (2007, New Issues/Western Michigan University Press), and ''The Guide to the Flying Island'' (2009, Miami University Press). She is a former professor of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

writer in residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

in Easton,

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 ...

. In 1990, Upton collaborated with artist Ed Kerns and fellow poet Charles Molesworth on an exhibition of poetry and images at the Williams Center in

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...

. Her work has appeared in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', the '' New Republic'', ''

American Poetry Review ''The American Poetry Review'' (''APR'') is an American poetry magazine printed every other month on tabloid-sized newsprint. It was founded in 1972 by Stephen Berg and Stephen Parker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The magazine's editor is Elizab ...

'', ''

Harvard Review ''Harvard Review'' is a biannual literary journal published by Houghton Library at Harvard University. History In 1986 Stratis Haviaras, curator of the Woodberry Poetry Room at Harvard University, founded a quarterly periodical called ''Erato ...

'', and ''DoubleTake''.

Awards

* 2008 Miami University Press Novella Prize * Lyric Poetry Award *

Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award The Writer Magazine/Emily Dickinson Award is given once a year to a member of the Poetry Society of America "to honor the memory and poetry of Emily Dickinson, for a poem inspired by Dickinson though not necessarily in her style.""PSA Annual Awar ...

at the group's 95th annual awards ceremony April 28, 2005 at

The New School The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. * 1988

National Poetry Series The National Poetry Series is an American literary awards program. Every year since 1979, the National Poetry Series has sponsored the publication of five books of poetry. Manuscripts are solicited through an annual open competition, judged and c ...

Bibliography

Poetry collections

* ''The Day Every Day Is''. Ardmore, PA: Saturnalia Books, 2023. Recipient of the Saturnalia Books Poetry Prize. * ''Bottle the Bottles the Bottles the Bottles''. Cleveland: Cleveland State University Poetry Center, 2015. Winner of the Open Book Award. * ''Undid in the Land of Undone''. Kalamazoo: New Issues Press, 2007. * ''Civilian Histories''. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2000. * ''Approximate Darling''. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1996. * * ''No Mercy''. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1989. Winner of the National Poetry Series. Winner of the 1988 National Poetry Series. * ''The Invention of Kindness''. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1984. *

Novels

Novellas

* Winner of the

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

Novella Award

Short fiction collections

*''Visitations: Stories''. Yellow Shoe Fiction Series. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2017. Recipient of

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, non ...

Star; listed in “Best of the Indies 2017” and “Best Indie Books for December” by

; American Book Fest Best Book Awards finalist; “Distinguished Stories of 2017” by

Best American Short Stories ''The Best American Short Stories'' is a yearly anthology that's part of '' The Best American Series'' published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the ''BASS'' has anthologized more than 2,000 short stories, including works by some of th ...

2018;

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 ...

2018 notable story * Winner of the BOA Short Fiction Award; listed in “Best Books of 2014” by

; Paterson Prize in Fiction finalist

Nonfiction

* Winner of ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Award * * * *

Libretto

* ''The Masque of Edgar Allan Poe'', composer Kirk O’Riordan, librettist Lee Upton. Performed by University of Delaware Opera Theatre at

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

on November 11, 2016 and University of Delaware Opera Theater at Williams Center for the Arts at

on November 13, 2016.

Collaborative Art Books

* ''Tying & Untying''. Lee Upton and Jim Toia. Clinton, NJ: Lucia Press, 2012. * ''The Maid at the Pond''. Curlee Holton and Lee Upton. Experimental Printmaking Institute, 2006. * ''Omniscient Love''. Curlee Holton and Lee Upton. Experimental Printmaking Institute, 2005.

Selected anthologies

* * * *

References

External links

"Award-Winning Poet", ''Oberlin College'' "Lee Upton Biography", ''American Poetry''
* ttp://herecomeseverybody.blogspot.com/2005/01/photo-theodora-ziolkowski-lee-upton-is.html "Lee Upton", ''Here Comes Everybody'', January 25, 2005br>"Interview with Lee Upton", ''Adirondack Review''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Upton, Lee 1953 births Living people The New Yorker people University of Massachusetts Amherst MFA Program for Poets & Writers alumni People from St. Johns, Michigan