Neil Aitken
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Neil Aitken (born 1974 in
Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
) is a Canadian poet, editor, and translator. He founded ''Boxcar Poetry Review.'' His first book, ''The Lost Country of Sight'', won the 2007 Philip Levine Prize for Poetry.


Biography


Early life and education

Aitken was born in Vancouver in 1974 and was raised in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, and the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. His father was of Scottish and English descent and his mother was of Chinese descent. He had a younger sister. He attended elementary and secondary school in Regina. Throughout high school, he enjoyed painting. As an undergraduate, he studied Computer Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. He worked as a computer games programmer for several years. In 2004, he quit his position to study at the
University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Riverside, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of Cali ...
, where he earned an MFA. He earned a PhD in Literature & Creative Writing from the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
.


Literature career

Aitken's first book, ''The Lost Country of Sight'', won the 2007 Philip Levine Prize. In 2016, he published ''Babbage’s Dream'', a semi-finalist for the Anthony Hecht Prize. He founded ''Boxcar Poetry Review''. Aitken and Chinese poet-translator Ming Di translated ''The Book of Cranes: Selected Poems of Zang Di.'' In 2011, Aitken was awarded the DJS Translation Prize for "his translations of contemporary Chinese poetry."


See also

*
Canadian literature Canadian literature is written in several languages including Canadian English, English, Canadian French, French, and various Indigenous Canadian languages. It is often divided into French- and English-language literatures, which are rooted in th ...
*
Canadian poetry Canadian poetry is poetry of or typical of Canada. The term encompasses poetry written in Canada or by Canadian people in the official languages of English and French, and an increasingly prominent body of work in both other European and Indigen ...
*
List of Canadian poets This is a list of Canadian poets. Years link to the corresponding "earin poetry" articles. A * Mark Abley (born 1955), poet, journalist, editor, and non-fiction writer. * Milton Acorn (1923–1986), poet, writer, and playwright * José Ac ...
*
List of Canadian writers This is a list of Canadian literature, Canadian literary figures, such as poets, novelists, children's writers, essayists, and scholars. __NOTOC__ A B C Jenny Denis 1983 high Fantasy YA Dragons of Nesbit E F G H I J ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aitken, Neil 1974 births Living people Canadian male poets Canadian people of Chinese descent Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian people of English descent Poets from Vancouver University of California, Riverside alumni University of Southern California alumni 21st-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian translators Canadian writers of Asian descent