Kelly Cherry
Encyclopedia
Kelly Cherry is an author, poet, and the Poet Laureate of Virginia
,(2010–2012). A resident of Halifax, Virginia
, she was named the state's Poet Laureate by Governor Bob McDonnell
in July 2010. She succeeded Claudia Emerson
in this post, Poet Laureate of Virginia
, (2008–2010).
From the beginning of her career, Cherry has written both formal verse and free verse. According to the citation preceding her receipt of the James G. Hanes Poetry Prize by the Fellowship of Southern Writers in 1989, "Her poetry is marked by a firm intellectual passion, a reverent desire to possess the genuine thought of our century, historical, philosophical, and scientific, and a species of powerful ironic wit which is allied to rare good humor." Reviewing Relativity, Patricia Goedicke
noted in Three Rivers Poetry Journal that "her familiarity with the demands and pressures of traditional patterns has resulted...in an expansion and deepening of her poetic resources, a carefully textured over- and underlay of image, meaning and diction." Mark Harris
felt that Cherry's "ability to sustain a narrative by clustering and repeating images [lends] itself to longer forms, and 'A Bird's Eye View of Einstein,' the longest poem in [Relativity], is an example of Cherry at her poetic best." Reviewing Cherry's collection, Death and Transfiguration, Patricia Gabilondo wrote in The Anglican Theological Review that "the abstract prose poem 'Requiem' that closes this book...translates personal loss into the historical and universal, providing an occasion for philosophical meditation on the mystery of suffering and the need for transcendence in a post-Holocaust world that seems to offer none. Moving through the terrors of nihilism and doubt, Cherry, in a poem that deftly alternates between the philosophically abstract and the image's graphic force, gives us an intellectually honest and deeply moving vision of our relation to each other's suffering and of God's relation to humanity's 'memory of pain'."
, but moved to Ithaca, New York
at age 5, and Chesterfield County, Virginia, at age 9.
in 1961, did graduate work at the University of Virginia
as a Du Pont Fellow, and received a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
. She began teaching at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
in 1977. Kelly Cherry is the Eudora Welty Professor Emerita of English and Evjue-Bascom Professor Emerita in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
.
, Colgate University
, Mercer University
, Atlantic Center for the Arts
, and Hollins University
.
She has received numerous literary and academic honors. Cherry continues to give numerous public and private readings, often teaming with other notable Poets Laureate of Virginia such as Claudia Emerson
and Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda
.
She has published reviews widely, including for the NYT, the LA Times, the Chicago Book Review, the Minneapolis paper, the Hollins Critic, America magazine, the Women's Review of Books, the London Independent, and others.
Other positions and posts include:
Poet Laureate of Virginia
The position of Poet Laureate of Virginia was established December 18, 1936 by the General Assembly.Originally the Poet Laureate of Virginia was appointed without outside consultation by the General Assembly, usually for one year. The procedure was later changed and most recently codified in 1998...
,(2010–2012). A resident of Halifax, Virginia
Halifax, Virginia
Halifax is a town in Halifax County, Virginia, United States, along the Banister River. The population was 1,389 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Halifax County.-Geography:Halifax is located at ....
, she was named the state's Poet Laureate by Governor Bob McDonnell
Bob McDonnell
Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...
in July 2010. She succeeded Claudia Emerson
Claudia Emerson
Claudia Emerson is an American poet who won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her collection Late Wife.-Background:...
in this post, Poet Laureate of Virginia
Poet Laureate of Virginia
The position of Poet Laureate of Virginia was established December 18, 1936 by the General Assembly.Originally the Poet Laureate of Virginia was appointed without outside consultation by the General Assembly, usually for one year. The procedure was later changed and most recently codified in 1998...
, (2008–2010).
Literary themes and styles
Award-winning poet and novelist Kelly Cherry is concerned with philosophy; with, as she explains it, "the becoming-aware of abstraction in real life--since, in order to abstract, you must have something to abstract from." Within her novels, the abstract notions of morality become her focus: "My novels deal with moral dilemmas and the shapes they create as they reveal themselves in time," she once told CA. "My poems seek out the most suitable temporal or kinetic structure for a given emotion." Writing in the Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook: 1983 on Cherry's fiction, Mark Harris concluded that "she manages to capture, in very readable stories, the indecisiveness and mute desperation of life in the twentieth century."From the beginning of her career, Cherry has written both formal verse and free verse. According to the citation preceding her receipt of the James G. Hanes Poetry Prize by the Fellowship of Southern Writers in 1989, "Her poetry is marked by a firm intellectual passion, a reverent desire to possess the genuine thought of our century, historical, philosophical, and scientific, and a species of powerful ironic wit which is allied to rare good humor." Reviewing Relativity, Patricia Goedicke
Patricia Goedicke
Patricia Goedicke was an American poet.Born Patricia McKenna in Boston, Massachusetts, she grew up in Hanover, New Hampshire, where her father was a resident psychiatrist at Dartmouth College. During her high school years she was an accomplished downhill skier. She earned her B.A. at Middlebury...
noted in Three Rivers Poetry Journal that "her familiarity with the demands and pressures of traditional patterns has resulted...in an expansion and deepening of her poetic resources, a carefully textured over- and underlay of image, meaning and diction." Mark Harris
Mark Harris (author)
Mark Harris was an American novelist, literary biographer, and educator.-Early life:Harris was born Mark Harris Finklestein in Mount Vernon, New York to Carlyle and Ruth Klausner Finkelstein...
felt that Cherry's "ability to sustain a narrative by clustering and repeating images [lends] itself to longer forms, and 'A Bird's Eye View of Einstein,' the longest poem in [Relativity], is an example of Cherry at her poetic best." Reviewing Cherry's collection, Death and Transfiguration, Patricia Gabilondo wrote in The Anglican Theological Review that "the abstract prose poem 'Requiem' that closes this book...translates personal loss into the historical and universal, providing an occasion for philosophical meditation on the mystery of suffering and the need for transcendence in a post-Holocaust world that seems to offer none. Moving through the terrors of nihilism and doubt, Cherry, in a poem that deftly alternates between the philosophically abstract and the image's graphic force, gives us an intellectually honest and deeply moving vision of our relation to each other's suffering and of God's relation to humanity's 'memory of pain'."
Early life
Kelly was born in Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
, but moved to Ithaca, New York
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
at age 5, and Chesterfield County, Virginia, at age 9.
Early career
Cherry graduated from the University of Mary WashingtonUniversity of Mary Washington
The University of Mary Washington is a public, coeducational liberal arts college located in the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA. Founded in 1908 by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a normal school, during much of the twentieth century it was part of the University of Virginia, until...
in 1961, did graduate work at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
as a Du Pont Fellow, and received a Masters of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro , also known as UNC Greensboro, is a public university in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States and is a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina system. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate, 61 master's and 26...
. She began teaching at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
in 1977. Kelly Cherry is the Eudora Welty Professor Emerita of English and Evjue-Bascom Professor Emerita in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
.
Later career
She retired in 1999, after 22 years (23 in Madison), and in retirement continues to hold those titles while also holding named chairs and distinguished writer positions at the University of Alabama in HuntsvilleUniversity of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is a state-supported, public, coeducational research university, located in Huntsville, Alabama, United States, is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's and doctoral degrees, and is organized in five...
, Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
, Mercer University
Mercer University
Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
, Atlantic Center for the Arts
Atlantic Center for the Arts
Atlantic Center for the Arts is a nonprofit, interdisciplinary artists’ community and arts education facility dedicated to promoting artistic excellence by providing talented artists an opportunity to work and collaborate with some of the world’s most distinguished contemporary artists in the...
, and Hollins University
Hollins University
Hollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia...
.
She has received numerous literary and academic honors. Cherry continues to give numerous public and private readings, often teaming with other notable Poets Laureate of Virginia such as Claudia Emerson
Claudia Emerson
Claudia Emerson is an American poet who won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her collection Late Wife.-Background:...
and Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda
Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda
Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda was named Poet Laureate of Virginia by the Governor, Tim Kaine, on June 26, 2006. She succeeded Rita Dove and served in this position from June 2006 - July 2008...
.
She has published reviews widely, including for the NYT, the LA Times, the Chicago Book Review, the Minneapolis paper, the Hollins Critic, America magazine, the Women's Review of Books, the London Independent, and others.
Personal life
Kelly Cherry is married to Burke Davis III; together they live on a small rural farm in central Virginia.Teaching positions
- Rivers-Coffey Distinguished Chair, Appalachian State UniversityAppalachian State UniversityAppalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
- Louis D. Rubin, Jr., Writer-in-Residence, Hollins UniversityHollins UniversityHollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia...
- Master Artist Atlantic Center for the Arts
- Ferrol A. Sams, Jr., Distinguished Chair in English, Mercer UniversityMercer UniversityMercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
- NEH Visiting Professor in the Humanities, Colgate UniversityColgate UniversityColgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
- Eminent Scholar, University of AlabamaUniversity of AlabamaThe University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
- Wyndham Robertson Writer-in-Residence, Hollins UniversityHollins UniversityHollins University is a four-year institution of higher education, a private university located on a campus on the border of Roanoke County, Virginia and Botetourt County, Virginia...
- Distinguished Professor, Rhodes CollegeRhodes CollegeRhodes College is a private, predominantly undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Originally founded by freemasons in 1848, Rhodes became affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in 1855. Rhodes enrolls approximately 1,700 students pursuing bachelor's and master's...
- Full Professor and Distinguished Writer-in-Residence, Western Washington UniversityWestern Washington UniversityWestern Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...
Other positions and posts include:
- Member, Electorate, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC (five-year term beginning 2009)
- Associated Writing Programs Board of Directors (1990–93)
- Discipline Advisory Committee for Fulbright Awards (1991–94)
- Advisory Editor, Shenandoah (1988–92)
- Contributing Editor, The Hollins Critic (1996–present)
Published works
Kelly Cherry has written over 25 fiction and non-fiction books, eight chapbooks and two translations of classical plays.Fiction
- My Life and Dr. Joyce Brothers, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, (1990); reprinted by University of Alabama Press, (2002).; LSU Press, 2004, ISBN 9780807129661
- Sick and Full of Burning, Viking Press (1974); Ballantine (1975); reprinted by C&M Online Media, Inc (1995)
- The Lost Traveller's Dream, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, (1984)
- Augusta Played, Houghton Mifflin, (1979), ISBN 9780395275733; Louisiana State University Press, (1984)
- We Can Still Be Friends, Soho Press, (2003) hardback; (2004) trade paper, ISBN 9781569473238
- The Society of Friends: Stories, University of Missouri Press, (1999)
- Conversion, Treacle Press, (1979)
Nonfiction
- The Globe and the Brain: On Place in Fiction, Talking River Publications, Lewis-Clark State College, (2006)
- History, Passion, Freedom, Death, and Hope: Prose about Poetry, University of Tampa Press, (2005)
- The Poem: An Essay, Sandhills Press, 1999
- Girl in a Library: On Women Writers and the Writing Life, BkMk Press/University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2009, ISBN 9781886157668
Poetry
- Benjamin John, March Street Press, 1993, ISBN 9781882983018
- Natural Theology, Louisiana State University Press, 1988, ISBN 9780807114308
- Lovers and Agnostics, Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1995, ISBN 9780887482083
- An Other Woman, Somers Rocks Press, 2000
- Songs for a Soviet Composer, Singing Wind Press, 1980, ISBN 9780935896022
- Time Out of Mind, March Street Press, 1994, ISBN 9781882983087
- Relativity: A Point of View, Louisiana State University Press, 1977, ISBN 9780807102770
- Welsh Table Talk, The Book Arts Conservatory, 2004
Translations
- Antigone (trans.), in Sophocles, 2, ed. by Slavitt and Bovie
- Octavia (trans.), in Seneca: The Tragedies, Vol. 2, ed. Slavitt and Bovie
Publications in Prize Anthologies
- Best American Short StoriesBest American Short StoriesThe Best American Short Stories yearly anthology is a part of The Best American Series published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Since 1915, the BASS anthology has striven to contain the best short stories by some of the best-known writers in contemporary American literature.-Edward O'Brien:The...
(1972) - Prize Stories: The O. Henry AwardO. Henry AwardThe O. Henry Award is the only yearly award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American master of the form, O. Henry....
(1994) - The Pushcart Prize (1977)
- New Stories from the SouthNew Stories From the SouthNew Stories from the South is an annual compilation of short stories published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill and billed as the year's best stories written by Southern writers or about the Southern United States...
(1989, 2009)
Publications in Anthologies
- Blackbird: Spring 2011 Spring 2008
Awards
- 2011 The Bravo!Award by the Chesterfield Public Education Foundation, Chesterfield County Public Schools in Virginia, USA
- 2010 Director’s Visitor, Institute for Advanced StudyInstitute for Advanced StudyThe Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
, Princeton, New Jersey - 2010 The Ellen Anderson Award (first recipient) from the Poetry Society of Virginia
- 2009 Finalist (with Marvin Bell and Mark Jarman) for The Poets' PrizePoets' PrizeThe 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...
- 2002 Book of the Year Award by ForeWord Magazine, Silver Prize for Poetry, for Rising Venus.
- 2000 Bradley Major Achievement Award (Lifetime), Council for Wisconsin Writers
- 2000 Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Mary WashingtonUniversity of Mary WashingtonThe University of Mary Washington is a public, coeducational liberal arts college located in the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA. Founded in 1908 by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a normal school, during much of the twentieth century it was part of the University of Virginia, until...
- 2000 Dictionary of Literary Biography Award for the best volume of short stories (The Society of Friends: Stories) published in 1999
- 1992 USIS Arts America Speaker Award (The Philippines). USIS is now called the USIA
- 1992, 1991 Wisconsin Arts Board New Work Awards
- 1991 First Prize for Book-length Fiction, Council for Wisconsin Writers (for My Life and Dr. Joyce Brothers)
- 1991 Wisconsin Notable Author, Literary Committee of the Wisconsin Library Association
- 1990 VCCA Writers Exchange with Soviet Writers' Union
- 1990, 1987, 1983 PEN Syndicated Fiction Awards
- 1989 Hanes Poetry Prize given by the Fellowship of Southern WritersFellowship of Southern WritersThe Fellowship of Southern Writers is a literary organization founded in 1987 in Chattanooga, Tennessee by 21 Southern writers and other literary luminaries...
for a body of work, first recipient. - 1980 First Prize for Book-length Fiction, Council for Wisconsin Writers (for Augusta Played)
- 1974 Canaras Award for first novel, Sick and Full of Burning
Fellowships
- 2009 Rockefeller FoundationRockefeller FoundationThe 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...
Fellowship, USA - 2005 Fellow, Le Moulin à Nef, AuvillarAuvillarAuvillar is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France.-External links:* * * *...
, France - 1994 Hawthornden Residency Fellowship, Scotland
- 1991, 1988, 1984 Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowships, USA
- 1989, 1979 Fellow, YaddoYaddoYaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
- 1986 Fellow, The RagdaleRagdaleRagdale is the summer retreat of Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, located in Lake Forest, Illinois. It is also the home of the Ragdale Foundation...
Foundation, USA - 1979 National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the ArtsThe 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...
Fellowship, USA - 1978 Fellow, Virginia Center for the Creative ArtsVirginia Center for the Creative ArtsThe Virginia Center for the Creative Arts is an artists’ community in Amherst, Virginia, USA. Since 1971, VCCA has offered residencies of two weeks to two months for international artists, writers, and composers at its working retreat in the foothills of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains...
, USA. Also, 1985; 1986; December–January 1987/1988; 1989; December–February 1990/1991; 2003; 2004; 2007; 2011 (Weinstein Fellow) - 1975 Allan Collins Fellowship, Bread Loaf, USA
2009 to present
- Elliot, Okla. What Kelly Cherry Knows. "An Embarassment of Riches". Inside Higher Ed BlogU. Inside the Education of Ornate Churm. August 4, 2011.
- Alger, Derek. "From the Editor: Interview with Kelly Cherry". PIF Magazine. October 1, 2010.
Poetry Readings
Kelly travels and gives lectures & poetry readings throughout the state of Virginia, and across the United States of America and in Europe. Below is a partial listing:2012
- April 6. Longwood College. Farmville, VA
- March 21–25. Festival of the Book. Charlottesville, VA
- February 29–March 3, 2012. 2012 AWP Annual Conference & Bookfair. Chicago, Illinois.
- September 28–30. National Book FestivalNational Book FestivalThe National Book Festival is an American event organized by the Library of Congress annually in Washington, D.C. Held in early autumn, the festival attracts tens of thousands of people each year . Over fifty nationally published authors, illustrators, and poets are invited for lectures,...
. Washington DC
2011
- October 12. Library of VirginiaLibrary of VirginiaThe Library of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, is the library agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia, its archival agency, and the reference library at the seat of government. The Library moved into a new building in 1997 and is located at 800 East Broad Street, 2 blocks from the Virginia State...
. Richmond, VA - September 24–25. National Book FestivalNational Book FestivalThe National Book Festival is an American event organized by the Library of Congress annually in Washington, D.C. Held in early autumn, the festival attracts tens of thousands of people each year . Over fifty nationally published authors, illustrators, and poets are invited for lectures,...
. Washington DC. - June 3–5. University of University of Mary WashingtonUniversity of Mary WashingtonThe University of Mary Washington is a public, coeducational liberal arts college located in the city of Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA. Founded in 1908 by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a normal school, during much of the twentieth century it was part of the University of Virginia, until...
. Reunion Weekend 2011. Special poetry session featuring three Virginia Poet LaureatePoet LaureateA poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
: Kelly Cherry, class of 1961; Claudia EmersonClaudia EmersonClaudia Emerson is an American poet who won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her collection Late Wife.-Background:...
, class of ; and Carolyn Kreiter-ForondaCarolyn Kreiter-ForondaCarolyn Kreiter-Foronda was named Poet Laureate of Virginia by the Governor, Tim Kaine, on June 26, 2006. She succeeded Rita Dove and served in this position from June 2006 - July 2008...
, class of 1969. - June 9. Word Works. National Park Service at the Rock Creek Nature Center Planetarium. Washington, DC. Kelly Cherry with Jacklyn Potter, and young poets, Trevor Bobola & Julia Holemans
Speaker / Workshops / Presentations / Panels
- Duke University, Raleigh, NC
- University of Washington, Seattle, WA
- Southampton University, Southampton, PA
- Bennington College Writing Workshops, Bennington, VT
- Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA
- Chenango Valley, Binghamton, NY
- and other colleges and institutions
External links
- Kelly Cherry's website
- Poets Laureate of Virginia from the Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
- Who's Who in Poetry 2004, page 62
- Mercer University, Department of English, Sams Poet and Novelist-in-Residence, 2006
- Department of English, Board of Regents, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Professor Emerita
- Gale Database of Publications and Broadcast Media
- Southern Miss Center for Writers, Friday, March 02, 2007
- Testimonial from a former student Gloria J. Wienke, technical editor