A. E. Stallings
Encyclopedia
Alicia Elsbeth Stallings (born 1968) is an American
poet
and translator
. She was named a 2011 MacArthur Fellow
and studied classics
at the University of Georgia
(A.B.
, 1990) and University of Oxford
. She is an editor with the Atlanta Review. In 1999, Stallings moved to Athens, Greece and has lived there ever since. She is the Poetry Program Director of the Athens Centre and is married to John Psaropoulos, who is the editor of the Athens News
.
She is a frequent contributor of poems and essays to Poetry magazine
. She has published two books of original verse, Archaic Smile (1999) and Hapax (2006). In 2007 she published a verse translation of Lucretius'
De Rerum Natura (The Nature of Things).
, although her approach to formal verse is flexible, and she freely uses metrical substitution
. In a review for her book Archaic Smile, Able Muse
, a formalist online poetry journal, noted that, "For all of Stallings’ formal virtuosity, few of her poems are strictly metrically regular. Indeed, one of the pleasant surprises of Archaic Smile is the number of superb poems in the gray zone between free and blank verse." Her work has been favorably compared to the poetry of Richard Wilbur
and Edna St. Vincent Millay
.
In a review of her second book, Hapax, Peter Campion
critically wrote that, "The meter and rhyme unfold elegantly, but at the expense of idiom," a criticism that is commonly aimed at the Formalist poets. On a positive note, Campion also states that, "[her best poems in the collection] match prosodic talent with intensely rendered feelings."
and the Walt Whitman Award. Her second collection, Hapax (2006), was awarded the 2008 Poets' Prize
. Her poems have appeared in The Best American Poetry
anthologies of 1994 and 2000. She has been awarded a Pushcart Prize
, the Eunice Tietjens Prize, the 2004 Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award
, and the James Dickey Prize.
In 2010, she was awarded the Willis Barnstone Translation Prize
.
In 2011, she won a Guggenheim Fellowship
. In 2011, she received a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
. She was named a 2011 MacArthur Fellow
Background
Stallings was raised in Decatur, GeorgiaDecatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
and studied classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
(A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, 1990) and University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. She is an editor with the Atlanta Review. In 1999, Stallings moved to Athens, Greece and has lived there ever since. She is the Poetry Program Director of the Athens Centre and is married to John Psaropoulos, who is the editor of the Athens News
Athens News
The Athens News is an English-language newspaper published in Greece.It was founded by Yannis Horn, brother of Dimitris Horn, and first appeared on 29 January 1952....
.
She is a frequent contributor of poems and essays to Poetry magazine
Poetry (magazine)
Poetry , published in Chicago, Illinois since 1912, is one of the leading monthly poetry journals in the English-speaking world. Published by the Poetry Foundation and currently edited by Christian Wiman, the magazine has a circulation of 30,000 and prints 300 poems per year out of approximately...
. She has published two books of original verse, Archaic Smile (1999) and Hapax (2006). In 2007 she published a verse translation of Lucretius'
Lucretius
Titus Lucretius Carus was a Roman poet and philosopher. His only known work is an epic philosophical poem laying out the beliefs of Epicureanism, De rerum natura, translated into English as On the Nature of Things or "On the Nature of the Universe".Virtually no details have come down concerning...
De Rerum Natura (The Nature of Things).
Style
Stallings' poetry uses traditional forms, and she has been associated with the New FormalismNew Formalism
New Formalism is a late-20th and early 21st century movement in American poetry that has promoted a return to metrical and rhymed verse.-Origins and intentions:...
, although her approach to formal verse is flexible, and she freely uses metrical substitution
Meter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
. In a review for her book Archaic Smile, Able Muse
Able Muse
Able Muse is a free, online journal focusing on metrical poetry, as well as fiction, art, photography, essays, interviews, and reviews. Able Muse was created in 1999 by Alexander Pepple. Able Muse is published on an irregular basis. They do not currently pay for submissions.Contributors to Able...
, a formalist online poetry journal, noted that, "For all of Stallings’ formal virtuosity, few of her poems are strictly metrically regular. Indeed, one of the pleasant surprises of Archaic Smile is the number of superb poems in the gray zone between free and blank verse." Her work has been favorably compared to the poetry of Richard Wilbur
Richard Wilbur
Richard Purdy Wilbur is an American poet and literary translator. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987, and twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in 1957 and again in 1989....
and Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
.
In a review of her second book, Hapax, Peter Campion
Peter Campion
Peter Campion is an American poet.He graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA, and from Boston University with an MA. He taught at Washington College, Ashland University, and Auburn University...
critically wrote that, "The meter and rhyme unfold elegantly, but at the expense of idiom," a criticism that is commonly aimed at the Formalist poets. On a positive note, Campion also states that, "[her best poems in the collection] match prosodic talent with intensely rendered feelings."
Awards
Her debut poetry collection, Archaic Smile, received the 1999 Richard Wilbur Award and was a finalist for both the Yale Younger Poets SeriesYale Series of Younger Poets Competition
The Yale Series of Younger Poets Competition is an annual event of Yale University Press aiming to publish the first collection of a promising American poet...
and the Walt Whitman Award. Her second collection, Hapax (2006), was awarded the 2008 Poets' Prize
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 also serve as judges...
. Her poems have appeared in The Best American Poetry
Best American series
The Best American Series is an annually-published collection of books, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, each of which features a different genre or theme. Each book selects from works published in North America during the previous year, selected by a guest editor who is an established writer...
anthologies of 1994 and 2000. She has been awarded a Pushcart Prize
Pushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize 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 invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
, the Eunice Tietjens Prize, the 2004 Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award
Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award
The Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award was established in 1994 by The Formalist, a poetry magazine founded by William Baer. The award honors the poet Howard Nemerov, who died in 1991. It is an open competition for sonnets in English that draws about 3000 entries annually. The award itself is $1000...
, and the James Dickey Prize.
In 2010, she was awarded the Willis Barnstone Translation Prize
Willis Barnstone Translation Prize
The Willis Barnstone Translation Prize is an annual award given to an exceptional translation of a poem from any language into English. The prize was inaugurated in 2002 by the University of Evansville under the direction of William Baer and has been presented annually since 2003. The award is...
.
In 2011, she won a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
. In 2011, she received a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.
Books
- Archaic Smile (University of Evansville Press, 1999) ISBN 0-930982-52-5
- Hapax (TriQuarterly, 2006) ISBN 0-8101-5171-5
- The Nature of Things (Penguin, 2007) ISBN 978-0-14-044796-5. Verse translation of Lucretius, De Rerum Natura.