Patricia Hampl
Encyclopedia
Patricia Hampl is an American
memoirist, writer, lecturer, and educator. She is a recipient of the prestigious Guggenheim Foundation
Fellowship, teaches in the MFA program at the University of Minnesota
at Minneapolis and is one of the founding members of the Loft Literary Center.
where she earned her B.A.
in 1968. Hampl earned her M.F.A. at the University of Iowa
in 1970.
Hampl worked as an editor of the Minnesota Monthly from 1973 to 1975. She worked as freelance writer and editor from 1975 to 1979. Between 1979 and 1996, Hampl occupied the positions of visiting assistant professor, associate professor, and professor of English at the University of Minnesota
at Minneapolis. Hampl has also served as an educator at other institutions such as Ball State University
and West Virginia University
. She also served as a faculty member for the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
1995 and 1996. She is a contributing editor at The Alaska Quarterly Review
. Since 2005, she has been a member of the permanent faculty of the Prague Summer Program, hosted by Prague's Charles University and Western Michigan University.
genre. Her first memoir, A Romantic Education, dealt with Hampl’s Czech heritage and won Hampl the Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship in 1981. Virgin Time: In Search of the Contemplative Life, another of Hampl’s memoirs, dealt with her Roman Catholic upbringing.
More recently, Hampl has won recognition for her memoir The Florist’s Daughter which deals with her feelings at the time of her mother’s death. The book was met with critical acclaim when it was published in 2007. The New York Times Book Review stated that “Hampl’s honest examination of her own life makes The Florist’s Daughter a wonder of a memoir.” It won the 2008 Minnesota Book Award for Memoir & Creative Nonfiction.
Hampl is also the author of several poems and other works (See Selected Bibliography Below).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
memoirist, writer, lecturer, and educator. She is a recipient of the prestigious Guggenheim Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
Fellowship, teaches in the MFA program at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
at Minneapolis and is one of the founding members of the Loft Literary Center.
Life
Hampl was born in St. Paul, Minnesota to Stanley and Mary Hampl. She attended the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
where she earned her B.A.
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...
in 1968. Hampl earned her M.F.A. at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in 1970.
Hampl worked as an editor of the Minnesota Monthly from 1973 to 1975. She worked as freelance writer and editor from 1975 to 1979. Between 1979 and 1996, Hampl occupied the positions of visiting assistant professor, associate professor, and professor of English at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
at Minneapolis. Hampl has also served as an educator at other institutions such as Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
and West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
. She also served as a faculty member for the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
Bread Loaf Writers' Conference
The Bread Loaf Writers' Conference is a writers' conference held every summer at the Bread Loaf Inn, near Bread Loaf Mountain, east of Middlebury, Vermont...
1995 and 1996. She is a contributing editor at The Alaska Quarterly Review
The Alaska Quarterly Review
The Alaska Quarterly Review is a biannual literary journal founded in 1980 by Ronald Spatz and James Liszka at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Ronald Spatz serves as editor-in-chief...
. Since 2005, she has been a member of the permanent faculty of the Prague Summer Program, hosted by Prague's Charles University and Western Michigan University.
Writing career
Hampl is best known for her emotionally charged and introspective works in the memoirMemoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
genre. Her first memoir, A Romantic Education, dealt with Hampl’s Czech heritage and won Hampl the Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship in 1981. Virgin Time: In Search of the Contemplative Life, another of Hampl’s memoirs, dealt with her Roman Catholic upbringing.
More recently, Hampl has won recognition for her memoir The Florist’s Daughter which deals with her feelings at the time of her mother’s death. The book was met with critical acclaim when it was published in 2007. The New York Times Book Review stated that “Hampl’s honest examination of her own life makes The Florist’s Daughter a wonder of a memoir.” It won the 2008 Minnesota Book Award for Memoir & Creative Nonfiction.
Hampl is also the author of several poems and other works (See Selected Bibliography Below).
Awards
(Note: This is a list of selected awards. For a complete list of awards earned by Patricia Hampl, see the External Links section below)- Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship (1976)
- National Endowment for the Arts Grant (1976)
- Bush Foundation Fellowship (1979)
- Houghton Mifflin Literary Fellowship (1981)
- Fulbright Fellowship (1995)
- McKnight Distinguished University Professorship (1996)
- Distinguished Achievement Award, Western Literature Association (2001)
Selected bibliography
- Woman Before an Aquarium (1978)
- A Romantic Education (1981)
- Resort and Other Poems (1983)
- (With Steven Sorman) Spillville (1987)
- Virgin Time: In Search of the Contemplative Life (1992)
- Blue Arabesque: A Search for the Sublime (2006)
- The Florist's Daughter: A Memoir (2007)
External links
- Patricia Hampl at the Biography Resource Center
- Periodicals by Patricia Hampl at the Biography Reference Bank
- Review of The Florist's Daughter at the New York Times Book Review
- Audio Interview with Patricia Hampl at the Barnes & Noble Studio
- The Official Patricia Hampl Website
- Interview with Patricia Hampl on University of Minnesota English Department Website
- Life on the Upper Mississippi, a performance with Dan Chouinard, University of Minnesota, Oct.9, 2008