W. S. Di Piero
Encyclopedia
William S. Di Piero is an American poet
, translator, and essayist.
in Philadelphia and received a Master's degree from San Francisco State University
in 1971.
He taught at Louisiana State University
, and Northwestern University
. In 1982, he joined Stanford University
. He is an Art Critic, and curated a photography exhibit of Jonathan Elderfield.
His work appeared in AGNI, Ploughshares, and Triquarterly.
He lives in San Francisco.
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...
, translator, and essayist.
Life
He grew up in an Italian working class neighborhood. He attended St. Joseph's CollegeSaint Joseph's University
Saint Joseph's University is a private, coeducational Roman Catholic Jesuit university located partially in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia and partially in Lower Merion Township and located in the Pennsylvania Main Line, Pennsylvania, United States.The school was founded in 1851 as Saint...
in Philadelphia and received a Master's degree from San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
in 1971.
He taught at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, and Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. In 1982, he joined Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. He is an Art Critic, and curated a photography exhibit of Jonathan Elderfield.
His work appeared in AGNI, Ploughshares, and Triquarterly.
He lives in San Francisco.
Awards
- 1996 Academy of American PoetsAcademy of American PoetsThe Academy of American Poets is a non-profit organization dedicated to the art of poetry. The Academy was incorporated as a "membership corporation" in New York State in 1934...
Raiziss/de Palchi Book Prize, This Strange Joy: Selected Poems of Sandro Penna - 1985 Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
- Ingram Merrill Fellowship
- Lila Wallace-Readers' Digest Fund grant
- 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...
grant
Poetry
- Chinese Apples: New and Selected Poems (Knopf, 2007)
- Early Light, University of Utah Press,1985
- The Only Dangerous Thing, Elpenor Books, 1984
- The First Hour, Abattoir Editions, 1982
Reviews
Poetry may never again be seen as essential equipment for living, but when practiced by W. S. Di Piero it might at least be valued as a handy household appliance.. .. Di Piero's seventh collection, Skirts and Slacks, deserves convenient placement by the telephone, television, computer or radio so as to be ready to retune a static-buzzed mind's reflective potential.
Brother Fire is a reference to the Catholic saint Francis of AssisiFrancis of AssisiSaint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
, who, Di Piero explained, addressed objects in nature as Brother or Sister. The title and its related frontispiece “Brother Francis to Brother Leone” elaborate the landscape as a machination of God, wherein each creature, object, and force works in a grand system manifesting the divine will.... Di Piero’s no holier or more certain than the rest of us, and maybe because of that, we can trust him.
External links
- "John Domini reviews Chinese Apples: New and Selected Poems" American Book Review, March/April, 2008
- 'THE TRANSLATOR AS GEOLOGIST:W.S. DI PIERO'S "QUEST FOR RECOGNITIONS"', JOHN RODDEN, Translation Review, Volume 50, 1996
- "On the Road with W. S. Di Piero", Craig Morgan Teicher, Publishers Weekly, 4/10/2007
- "Chinese Apples: Poems by W.S. Di Piero", August 27, 2008, The Leonard Lopate Show: WNYC
- "W.S. Di Piero", August 17, 2001, Morning Edition: NPR