Scott Hightower
Encyclopedia
Scott Hightower is an American
poet and teacher. Hightower is the author of three books of poetry. His third, Part of the Bargain, won the 2004 Hayden Carruth Award. He has also been awarded a Willis Barnstone Translation Prize
for a translation from Spanish.
Hightower was the third child of a family that lived on a modest working ranch near Lometa, a small town in central Texas
. Like many rural American families of that time, it was a family to be met by challenges. His father, Berley Hightower, was a cowboy/rancher. The first week of August, 1952, Joyce Blauvelt Hightower gave birth to her third child on a Monday. On Wednesday of the same week, she was diagnosed with polio.
Hightower earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin
, his Master of Education from Juarez-Lincoln University
in Austin
(an affiliate of Antioch University
), and his Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University
. While studying at Columbia, he won the Academy of American Poets Prize.
His first three books, without the lament of victimhood, incorporate the loss of his brother to AIDS, his sister to breast cancer. There are also reflections of their mother's earlier bout with polio. The themes of spirit captured in matter are archetypal and poeticly compelling.
Hightower's poetry reviews often appear in The Journal, Manhattan Review, Coldfront Magazine, and other national journals. He has taught writing at New York University
(Gallatin School), Fordham University
, Drew University
, the Gay Men's Health Crisis, and F.I.T.. He lives in New York City
.
Hightower is also a political activist. He is an advocate of developed countries stepping away from the Death Penalty. He is also supportive of basic civil liberties such as access to healthcare and education. He is concerned with biases based on gender, race, and sexual orientation. Hightower likes animals and encourages responsible care. He expresses a specific sympathy on behalf of sanctuaries for butterflies, birds, retired elephants, and horses.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet and teacher. Hightower is the author of three books of poetry. His third, Part of the Bargain, won the 2004 Hayden Carruth Award. He has also been awarded a Willis Barnstone Translation Prize
Willis Barnstone Translation Prize
The Willis Barnstone Translation Prize is an annual award given to an exceptional translation of a poem from any language into English. The prize was inaugurated in 2002 by the University of Evansville under the direction of William Baer and has been presented annually since 2003. The award is...
for a translation from Spanish.
Hightower was the third child of a family that lived on a modest working ranch near Lometa, a small town in central Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Like many rural American families of that time, it was a family to be met by challenges. His father, Berley Hightower, was a cowboy/rancher. The first week of August, 1952, Joyce Blauvelt Hightower gave birth to her third child on a Monday. On Wednesday of the same week, she was diagnosed with polio.
Hightower earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
, his Master of Education from Juarez-Lincoln University
Juarez-Lincoln University
Juarez-Lincoln University was part of the Mexican-American education movement in Texas beginning in 1969. In that year many Latino students walked out in protest over lack of Latino history in secondary schools in Texas, Latino faculty members and related issues...
in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
(an affiliate of Antioch University
Antioch University
Antioch University is an American university with five campuses located in four states. Campuses are located in Los Angeles, California; Santa Barbara, California; Keene, New Hampshire; Yellow Springs, Ohio; and Seattle, Washington. Additionally, Antioch University houses two institution-wide...
), and his Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. While studying at Columbia, he won the Academy of American Poets Prize.
His first three books, without the lament of victimhood, incorporate the loss of his brother to AIDS, his sister to breast cancer. There are also reflections of their mother's earlier bout with polio. The themes of spirit captured in matter are archetypal and poeticly compelling.
Hightower's poetry reviews often appear in The Journal, Manhattan Review, Coldfront Magazine, and other national journals. He has taught 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...
(Gallatin School), Fordham University
Fordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
, Drew University
Drew University
Drew University is a private university located in Madison, New Jersey.Originally established as the Drew Theological Seminary in 1867, the university later expanded to include an undergraduate liberal arts college in 1928 and commenced a program of graduate studies in 1955...
, the Gay Men's Health Crisis, and F.I.T.. He 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...
.
Hightower is also a political activist. He is an advocate of developed countries stepping away from the Death Penalty. He is also supportive of basic civil liberties such as access to healthcare and education. He is concerned with biases based on gender, race, and sexual orientation. Hightower likes animals and encourages responsible care. He expresses a specific sympathy on behalf of sanctuaries for butterflies, birds, retired elephants, and horses.
Books of poetry
- Tin Can Tourist (2001)
- Natural Trouble (2003)
- Part of the Bargain (Copper Canyon PressCopper Canyon PressCopper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, specializing in the publication of poetry and located in the picturesque town of Port Townsend, Washington. Since 1972, the Press has published poetry exclusively and has established an international reputation for its commitment to...
, 2005)