Courtney Angela Brkic
Encyclopedia
Courtney Angela Brkic is Croatian American memoirist, short story writer, and academic.
, grew up in Arlington, Virginia, and graduated from Yorktown High School
. She studied archaeology at the College of William and Mary
, and graduated from New York University
, with an MFA.
In 1996, she went to eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina
as part of a Physicians for Human Rights
forensic team, then worked as a summary translator for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
. She has taught creative writing at New York University
, the Cooper Union
, and Kenyon College
, where she held the Richard L. Thomas Chair in Creative Writing in 2006. She teaches at George Mason University
, and lives in New York City
with her husband, Phil.
Life
She is a native of Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, grew up in Arlington, Virginia, and graduated from Yorktown High School
Yorktown High School
Yorktown High School is one of three public high schools located in Arlington, Virginia. There are 111 teachers and 1748 students as of 2009, 981 of whom are enrolled in AP courses. It is a fully accredited high school based on Virginia's SOL examinations, and is accredited by the Southern...
. She studied archaeology at the College of William and Mary
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...
, and graduated from 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...
, with an MFA.
In 1996, she went to eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
as part of a Physicians for Human Rights
Physicians for Human Rights
Physicians for Human Rights was founded in 1986 by a small group of doctors who believed the unique scientific expertise and authority of health professionals could bring human rights violations to light and provide justice for victims...
forensic team, then worked as a summary translator for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
. She has taught creative writing at 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 Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
, and Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
, where she held the Richard L. Thomas Chair in Creative Writing in 2006. She teaches at George Mason University
George Mason University
George Mason University is a public university based in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of and adjacent to the city of Fairfax. Additional campuses are located nearby in Arlington County, Prince William County, and Loudoun County...
, and lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with her husband, Phil.
Awards
- 2008 National Endowment for the Arts Literature Grant
- 2003 Whiting Writers' AwardWhiting Writers' AwardThe Whiting Writers' Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. The award is sponsored by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation and has been presented since 1985. As of 2007, winners receive US $50,000.-External links:**...
, for Stillness - Fulbright Scholarship to research women in Croatia's war-affected population
- New York Times Fellowship.
Works
- The Sun in Another Sky - a novel - is forthcoming in 2011 or 2012.
Review
In a newly published book, Stillness and Other Stories, Courtney Angela Brkic writes about lifeduring the wars that ravaged Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina beginning in 1991. This is a powerful and vivid account in sixteen short stories of theeffects of war as told by types of people who experienced it.
Every war reminds us that it is essential to have writers who have witnessed the realities and the aftermath of battle, who can help us see into the hearts and minds of soldiers and civilians, who can describe -- without excessive romance or rhetoric -- bloodshed and brutality, survival and resilience. One such writer is Courtney Angela Brkic, whose introduction to Stillness, her first volume of short stories, explains the passion and conviction she has brought to this spare and poignant book.