Peter Meinke is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 poet

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...

 and author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

. He has published 17 books of poems and short stories. The Piano Tuner, won the 1986 Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction

Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction

The Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction is an annual prize awarded by the University of Georgia Press named in honor of the American short story writer and novelist Flannery O'Connor....

. His poetry has received many awards, including 2 NEA Fellowship

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...

s and 3 prizes from the Poetry Society of America

Poetry Society of America

The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists including Witter Bynner. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the have included such renowned writers as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Edna St. Vincent...

. His work has appeared in The New Yorker

The New Yorker

The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...

, Atlantic Monthly, Poetry, and other magazines.

Biography

Meinke and his wife, the artist Jeanne Clark, have lived in St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg, Florida

St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...

 since 1966. For 27 years, Meinke was a professor at Eckerd College

Eckerd College

Eckerd College is a private 4-year coeducational liberal arts college at the southernmost tip of St. Petersburg, Florida, in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.- Campus :...

, where he was a director of the EC Writing Workshop. In February 2004, he was inducted as a foundation member into the Eckerd College Phi Beta Kappa chapter, Zeta of Florida. He also served on the faculty of the Eckerd College's Third Annual Writers in Paradise Conference in January 2007. From 2003 through 2005, he held the Darden Chair in Creative Writing at Old Dominion University

Old Dominion University

Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...

.

Works

Meinke's published books include:

• Unheard Music: Stories (2007)
• The Contracted World: New & More Selected Poems (2006)
• Zinc Fingers: Poems A to Z (2000)
• The Shape of Poetry: A Practical Guide to Writing Poetry (1999)
• Scars (1996)
• Campocorto (Sow's ear) (1996)
• The Piano Tuner: Stories (1994)
• Liquid Paper (1992)
• Far from Home (1988)
• Night Watch on the Chesapeake (1987)
• Underneath the Lantern (1986)
• Trying to Surprise God (1981)
• The Rat Poems: Or, Rats Live On No Evil Star (1978)
• The Night Train & The Golden Bird (1977)
• Lines from Neuchatel (1974)
• Howard Nemerov (1968)
• The Legend of Larry, the Lizard (1968)

External links

• "Come read along with us" by Margo Hammond, St. Petersburg Times, September 3, 2006.
• "National poet laureate cancels Pasco reading" by Lisa Buie, St. Petersburg Times, April 26, 2006.