Diane Wakoski
Encyclopedia
Diane Wakoski is a American poet who is primarily associated with the deep image
poets, as well as the confessional and Beat
poets of the 1960s.
and studied at the University of California, Berkeley
and graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts, where she participated in Thom Gunn
's poetry workshops. It was there that she first read many of the modernist poets who would influence her writing style.
Her early writings were considered part of the deep image movement that also included the works of Jerome Rothenberg
, Robert Kelly
, and Clayton Eshleman
, among others. She also cites William Carlos Williams
and Allen Ginsberg
as influences. Her later work is more personal and conversational in the Williams mode.
She is best known for a series of poems collectively known as "The Motorcycle Betrayal Poems."
She received considerable attention in the 1980s for controversial comments linking New Formalism
with Reaganism.
Wakoski is married to Sam Otter, and taught creative writing at Michigan State University
in East Lansing, Michigan, retiring in 2011.
Deep image
Deep image is a term coined by U.S. poets Jerome Rothenberg and Robert Kelly in the second issue of Trobar in 1961. They used it to describe poetry written by them and by Diane Wakoski and Clayton Eshleman....
poets, as well as the confessional and Beat
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
poets of the 1960s.
Biography
Wakoski was born in Whittier, CaliforniaWhittier, California
Whittier is a city in Los Angeles County, California about southeast of Los Angeles. The city had a population of 85,331 at the 2010 census, up from 83,680 as of the 2000 census, and encompasses 14.7 square miles . Like nearby Montebello, the city constitutes part of the Gateway Cities...
and studied at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts, where she participated in Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn
Thom Gunn, born Thomson William Gunn , was an Anglo-American poet who was praised both for his early verses in England, where he was associated with The Movement and his later poetry in America, even after moving toward a looser, free-verse style...
's poetry workshops. It was there that she first read many of the modernist poets who would influence her writing style.
Her early writings were considered part of the deep image movement that also included the works of Jerome Rothenberg
Jerome Rothenberg
Jerome Rothenberg is an internationally known American poet, translator and anthologist who is noted for his work in ethnopoetics and poetry performance.-Early life and work:...
, Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly (poet)
Robert Kelly is an American poet associated with the deep image group.-Early life and education:Kelly was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Samuel Jason and Margaret Rose Kelly née Kane, in 1935. He did his undergraduate studies at the City College of the City University of New York, graduating in 1955...
, and Clayton Eshleman
Clayton Eshleman
Clayton Eshleman is an American poet, translator, and editor.-Life:Eshleman has been translating since the early 1960s. He is the recipient of the National Book Award in 1979 for his co-translation of César Vallejo's Complete Posthumous Poetry...
, among others. She also cites William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams was an American poet closely associated with modernism and Imagism. He was also a pediatrician and general practitioner of medicine, having graduated from the University of Pennsylvania...
and Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
as influences. Her later work is more personal and conversational in the Williams mode.
She is best known for a series of poems collectively known as "The Motorcycle Betrayal Poems."
She received considerable attention in the 1980s for controversial comments linking New Formalism
New 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:...
with Reaganism.
Wakoski is married to Sam Otter, and taught creative writing at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
in East Lansing, Michigan, retiring in 2011.
Awards
- William Carlos Williams AwardWilliam Carlos Williams AwardThe William Carlos Williams Award is given out by the Poetry Society of America for a poetry book published by a small press, non-profit, or university press....
for her book Emerald Ice. - Guggenheim Foundation grant
- National Endowment for the Arts grant
- Fulbright grant
Poetry
- "Red Bandana", echonyc
- The Archaeology of Movies and Books sequence: