Robert Archambeau (born 1968) is a novelist, poet and critic. Son of Canadian ceramic artist,

Robert Archambeau Robert Archambeau (18 April 1933 – 25 April 2022) was a Canadian ceramic artist and potter. He also had an academic career in post-secondary art studies. Personal history Born in Toledo, Ohio, United States, in 1933, he immigrated to Cana ...

, Archambeau was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

and raised in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

. He teaches English as a professor at

Lake Forest College Lake Forest College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Lind University by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the college has been coeducatio ...

near

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. His scholarly work explores the social context of the history of poetics: he has been called "our smartest poetic sociologist" in the scholarly journal ''Contemporary Literature''. Archambeau's works include his debut novel, ''Alice B. Toklas is Missing'' as well as poetry collections: ''Citation Suite'', ''The Kafka Sutra'', and ''Home and Variations''; and works of literary criticism: ''Laureates and Heretics'', ''The Poet Resigns: Poetry in a Difficult World'', and ''Inventions of a Barbarous Age: Poetry from Conceptualism to Rhyme''. He has also edited a number of works, including ''Word Play Place: Essays on the Poetry of John Matthias'', ''The &NOW Awards: The Best Innovative Writing'', and ''Letters of Blood: English Writings of Göran Printz-Påhlson''. Along with John Matthias he is the co-author of ''Revolutions: A Collaboration'', a collection of prose and poetry with images by the artist Jean Dibble. In 2001, he ran an election on the

POETICS list The University of Buffalo POETICS listserv (informally and variously known as UBPOETICS or the POETICS list) was one of the oldest and most widely known mailing lists devoted to the discussion of contemporary North American poetry and poetics. It ...

as a protest against the appointment of

Billy Collins William James Collins (born March 22, 1941) is an American poet who served as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He was a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York, retiring in 2016. Co ...

Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress The poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress, commonly referred to as the United States poet laureate, serves as the official poet of the United States. During their term, the poet laureate seeks to raise the national consc ...

. Anselm Hollo was elected to the honorary position. Along with R.S. Gwynn he chaired the

Poets' Prize The Poets' Prize is awarded annually for the best book of verse published by a living American poet two years prior to the award year. The $3000 annual prize is donated by a committee of about 20 American poets, who each nominate two books and who ...

committee. In November of 2023, Regal House Publishing, released Archambeau's debut novel, ''Alice B. Toklas is Missing''. He is currently at work on the sequel. He has received grants and awards 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 ...

, the Illinois Arts Council, and the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy (), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is best known as the body t ...

. He is a poetry editor of The Fortnightly Review. ''Slate'' magazine listed his book ''The Poet Resigns'' as one of the most underrated books of 2013.

Notes and references

External links

Robert Archambeau's Website

Samizdat Blog

Critical Margins interview with Robert Archambeau

Salt Publishing Author Page

Poetry Foundation Biography

Poetry Foundation Biography

University of ND Press: ''Laureates and Heretics''

Open Book: ''Letters of Blood''

Robert Archambeau at Ohio University Press

Review of ''Home and Variations'' in the
'' Notre Dame Review''
Review of ''Home and Variations'' in ''PN Review''

Review of ''Laureates and Heretics'' in ''PN Review''

* ttp://www.corpse.org/archives/issue_10/broken_news/hollo.html The Anti-Laureate Announcement {{DEFAULTSORT:Archambeau, Robert 1968 births American literary critics Poets from Rhode Island Lake Forest College faculty Living people 21st-century American poets