Mary Elizabeth Parker (b.

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

) is an

American poet The poets listed below were either born in the United States or else published much of their poetry while living in that country. A B C D E F G H I–J K L M N O P Q *George Quasha (born 1942 in poetry, 1942) R ...

. She is best known for her collection, ''The Sex Girl'' (Urthona Press), which won the Urthona Poetry Prize in 1999. Her poetry has been widely anthologized in such journals as '' Gettysburg Review'', ''

New Letters ''New Letters'', the name it has been published under since 1970, is one of the oldest literary magazines in the United States and continues to publish award-winning poems and fiction. The magazine is based in Kansas City, Missouri. History and ...

'', '' Arts & Letters'', ''

Greensboro Review ''The Greensboro Review'', founded in 1966, is one of the nation's oldest literary magazines, based at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina. It publishes fiction and poetry on a semi-annual basis. Work ...

'', ''Madison Review'' and ''Confrontation''. Her

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

essays An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...

have previously 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 ...

. Parker is also the founder of the

Dana Award The Dana Award is a literary award presented in short fiction, poetry and novels. It was founded in 1996 by literature professor and poet Mary Elizabeth Parker with the financial backing of Michael Dana.''Poets & Writers'', September/October 2000 ...

s in fiction and poetry. She holds an MFA in creative writing and a Ph.D. in literature from the

University of North Carolina, Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the Southern Association of College ...

.Interview in Margin
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Chapbooks

* ''That Stumbling Ritual'' (Coraddi Press, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, 1980) * ''Breathing in a Foreign Country'' (winner of the 1993 Kinloch Rivers Memorial Competition) * ''Cave-Girl'' (Finishing Line Press, 2013) * ''Miss Havisham in Winter'' (FutureCycle Press, 2013) * ''This Lovely Body'' (Finishing Line Press, 2016)

References

Living people Writers from Greensboro, North Carolina American women poets Year of birth missing (living people) {{US-poet-stub