Cornelius Eady
Encyclopedia
Cornelius Eady is an American poet
focusing largely on matters of race and society
, particularly the trials of the African-American race in the United States. His poetry often centers around jazz
and blues
, family life, violence, and societal problems stemming from questions of race and class. His poetry is often praised for its simple and approachable language.
and is an author of seven volumes of poetry. In most of Eady’s poems, there is a musical quality drawn from the Blues
and Jazz
. His first book of poetry, Kartunes, was published in 1980, with several books of poetry following it. Recently awarded honors include the Strousse Award from Prairie Schooner, a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest
Award, and individual Fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation
, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts
. Eady has also recently collaborated with jazz composer Deidre Murray in the production of several works of musical theater, including You Don't Miss Your Water, Running Man, Fangs, and Brutal Imagination. In 1996, Eady and fellow poet Toi Derricotte
founded Cave Canem Workshop, a nonprofit organization for black poets. Cornelius Eady has taught at Sarah Lawrence College
, New York University
, The Writer's Voice, The College of William and Mary, and Sweet Briar College
. Formerly an associate professor of English and Director of the Poetry Center at State University of New York at Stony Brook
and Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at the City College of New York
, Eady currently lives in Columbia, Missouri
with his wife, novelist Sarah Micklem
, and holds the Miller Chair in Poetry at the University of Missouri
.
; You Don't Miss Your Water (Henry Holt, 1995); and the autobiography of a jukebox (Carnegie Mellon, 1997).
One of his most popular works, Eady’s book Brutal Imagination (2001) comprises two cycles of poems, each confronting the same subject: the black man in white America
. The first cycle, which carries the book’s title, is narrated largely by the "imaginary black man that Susan Smith
blamed for kidnapping her two children when in fact she had strapped her babies into the back of their family car and pushed the car into John D. Long Lake and let them drown. It took nine days for the authorities— the FBI and the sheriff— to break her story and so the premise is that for those nine days, that man is alive and walking among us, and it's a big what if: What if he could talk? What if he had the ability to speak? What would he have told us?" http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v2n1/poetry/eady_c/
The second cycle, "Running Man," focuses on the African-American family and the barriers of color and class. The title character represents every African-American male who has crashed into these barriers.
Eady's work also appears in Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts
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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...
focusing largely on matters of race and society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
, particularly the trials of the African-American race in the United States. His poetry often centers around jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, family life, violence, and societal problems stemming from questions of race and class. His poetry is often praised for its simple and approachable language.
Biography
Cornelius Eady was born in 1954 in Rochester, New YorkRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
and is an author of seven volumes of poetry. In most of Eady’s poems, there is a musical quality drawn from the Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. His first book of poetry, Kartunes, was published in 1980, with several books of poetry following it. Recently awarded honors include the Strousse Award from Prairie Schooner, a Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
Award, and individual Fellowships from the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
. Eady has also recently collaborated with jazz composer Deidre Murray in the production of several works of musical theater, including You Don't Miss Your Water, Running Man, Fangs, and Brutal Imagination. In 1996, Eady and fellow poet Toi Derricotte
Toi Derricotte
Toi Derricotte is an American poet and a professor of writing at University of Pittsburgh.At Wayne State University she earned a B.A. in 1965 and an M.A...
founded Cave Canem Workshop, a nonprofit organization for black poets. Cornelius Eady has taught at Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, The Writer's Voice, The College of William and Mary, and Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar College is a liberal arts women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia, about north of Lynchburg, Virginia. The school's Latin motto translates as: "She who has earned the rose may bear it."...
. Formerly an associate professor of English and Director of the Poetry Center at State University of New York at Stony Brook
State University of New York at Stony Brook
The State University of New York at Stony Brook, also known as Stony Brook University, is a public research university located in Stony Brook, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island, about east of Manhattan....
and Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, Eady currently lives in Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
with his wife, novelist Sarah Micklem
Sarah Micklem
Sarah Micklem is the author of the best-selling fantasy novel, Firethorn. She has also worked as a graphic designer and spent fourteen years working for Time Warner, designing for a children's magazine in New York City. She wrote Firethorn while working as the art director for the magazine. The...
, and holds the Miller Chair in Poetry at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
.
Works
Cornelius Eady's most recent collection of poetry, Brutal Imagination (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2001) was a finalist for the 2001 National Book Award in Poetry. He is also the author of Kartunes (Warthog Press, 1980); Victims of the Latest Dance Craze (Ommation Press, 1986), which won the 1985 Lamont Poetry Prize of the Academy of American Poets; BOOM, BOOM, BOOM: A Chapbook (1988); The Gathering of My Name (Carnegie Mellon, 1991), a nominee for the 1992 Pulitzer Prize in PoetryPulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
; You Don't Miss Your Water (Henry Holt, 1995); and the autobiography of a jukebox (Carnegie Mellon, 1997).
One of his most popular works, Eady’s book Brutal Imagination (2001) comprises two cycles of poems, each confronting the same subject: the black man in white America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The first cycle, which carries the book’s title, is narrated largely by the "imaginary black man that Susan Smith
Susan Smith
Susan Leigh Vaughan Smith is an American woman sentenced to life in prison for murdering her children. Born in Union, South Carolina, and a former student of the University of South Carolina Union, she was convicted on July 22, 1995 of murdering her two sons, 3-year-old Michael Daniel Smith, born...
blamed for kidnapping her two children when in fact she had strapped her babies into the back of their family car and pushed the car into John D. Long Lake and let them drown. It took nine days for the authorities— the FBI and the sheriff— to break her story and so the premise is that for those nine days, that man is alive and walking among us, and it's a big what if: What if he could talk? What if he had the ability to speak? What would he have told us?" http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v2n1/poetry/eady_c/
The second cycle, "Running Man," focuses on the African-American family and the barriers of color and class. The title character represents every African-American male who has crashed into these barriers.
Eady's work also appears in Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts
Blackbird: an online journal of literature and the arts
Blackbird is an online journal of literature and the arts based in the United States that posts two issues a year, May 1 and November 1. During the six month run of an issue, additional content appears as "featured" content...
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