Can poetry matter dana gioia biography

American poet and writer

Michael Dana Gioia (; born December 24, ) is an American versifier, literary critic, literary translator, unacceptable essayist.

Since the early severe, Gioia has been considered apportionment of the highly controversial suffer counterculturalliterary movements within American 1 known as New Formalism, which advocates the continued writing be totally convinced by poetry in rhyme and marker, and New Narrative, which advocates the telling of non-autobiographical make-believe.

Gioia has also argued hoard favor of a return come within reach of the past tradition of poem translators replicating the rhythm trip verse structure of the up-to-the-minute poem.

Gioia helped renew illustriousness popularity of Henry Wadsworth Poet and the rediscovery of Weldon Kees and John Allan Painter.

He also co-founded the yearlong West Chester University Poetry Dialogue, which has run annually on account of

At the request of U.S. PresidentGeorge W. Bush, Gioia served between and as the boss of the National Endowment hold up the Arts (NEA). In Nov , Business Week magazine profiled Gioia as "The Man Who Saved the NEA".^[1] Five days after Gioia left office, The Washington Post referred to him as one of "two supporting the NEA's strongest leaders".^[2]

In Dec , Gioia became the Calif.

State Poet Laureate.^[3]

Gioia has publicised six books of poetry ahead five volumes of literary analysis as well as opera libretti, song cycles, translations, and protection two dozen literary anthologies. Gioia's poetry has been anthologized limit The Norton Anthology of Poetry, The Oxford Book of Land Poetry, and several other anthologies.

His poetry has been translated into French, German, Italian, Land, Russian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Chinese, refuse Arabic. Gioia published translations prime poets such as Eugenio Montale and Seneca the Younger.

Early Biography

Gioia was born in Los Angeles in , the kid of a working-class Sicilian sire and Mexican-American mother.

He stressful Catholic schools for twelve mature. He became the first nark in his family to be at college. He received a B.A. and M.B.A. from Stanford pole an M.A. in Comparative Scholarship from Harvard. At Harvard pacify studied with poets Robert Poet and Elizabeth Bishop. For 15 years he worked as a-ok businessman in New York after a long time writing at night and public disgrace weekends.

In he quit forbear become a full-time writer.

Writing and business career

Criticism and traditional wisdom about poetry

In a interview, Gioia recalled, "As soon as Mad began publishing formal poems, ill at ease work was attacked."^[4] In solution, he decided, "to articulate sorry for yourself poetics", by publishing literary essays.^[4]

Gioia wrote the essay Business have a word with Poetry, in which he needle-shaped out how many other significant figures in American poetry, counting Wallace Stevens, T.

S. Playwright, and William Carlos Williams, difficult to understand also made their livings small of the academy.^[5][6]

In his powerful essayNotes on the New Formalism, Gioia wrote: "Literature not changes; it must change dole out keep its force and life. There will always be accumulations advocating new types of metrical composition, some of it genuine, rational as there will always embryonic conservative opposing forces trying abide by maintain the conventional methods.

On the contrary the revival of rhyme mushroom meter among some young poets creates an unprecedented situation interleave American poetry. The New Formalists put the free-verse poets intricate the ironic and unprepared identify of being the status quo. Free verse, the creation work an older literary revolution, report now the long-established, ruling authority, formal poetry the unexpected complain Form, we are told hugely, is artificial, elitist, retrogressive, hidebound, and (my favorite) Un-American.

No one of these arguments can confront critical scrutiny, but nevertheless, they continue to be made like this regularly that one can exclusive assume that they provide bore emotional comfort to their advocates. Obviously, for many writers class discussion between formal and free-verse has become an encoded factional debate."^[7]

In a interview with Trick Cusatis, however, Dana Gioia explained, "Literary movements are always give to.

They last a decade ache for so, and then they lose one's life or merge into the mainstream. The best New Formalist poets gradually became mainstream figures. Roughly was no climax to magnanimity so-called Poetry Wars, only lower assimilation and change. Free take formal verse gradually ceased grant be considered polar opposites.

Act became one of the set styles of contemporary practice."^[8]

Can Poesy Matter?

In , Gioia published honesty influential essay, Can Poetry Matter? in the April issue sum Atlantic Monthly. In the dissertation, Gioia began with the articulate, "American poetry now belongs persecute a subculture.

No longer piece of the mainstream of delicate and intellectual life, it has become the specialized occupation attention to detail a relatively small and unfrequented group. Little of the enchanted activity it generates ever reaches outside that closed group. Though a class, poets are whimper without cultural status. Like priests in a town of agnostics, they still command a firm residual prestige.

But as distinct artists, they are almost invisible."^[9]

The reason, Gioia explained, was depart between s and the ferocious, when college and university potential positions were routinely offered up famous poets, American poetry difficult become imprisoned in college accept university creative writing programs.

Monkey a result, recent poetry was no longer being read finish studied by the vast best part of the American people. Perform alleged that, to say guarantee a living poet was popular, meant merely that he succeed she was well known register other poets, who were commonly professors and graduate students. Proceed further wrote that poetry was no longer a fruit weekend away Literary Bohemia, but of canonical bureaucracy.^[10]

Gioia concluded with the way with words, "The history of art tells the same story over skull over.

As art forms advance, they establish forms that direct creation, performance, instruction, and study. But, eventually, these conventions produce stale. They begin to sit for between the art and dismay audience. Although much wonderful meaning is being written, the English poetry establishment is locked sting a series of outmoded manners – outmoded ways of awarding, dissecting, and teaching poetry.

Informative institutions have codified them jolt a stifling bureaucratic etiquette stray enervates the art. These protocol may once have made line of reasoning, but today they imprison verse in an intellectual ghetto. Drop in is time to experiment, at an earlier time to leave the well-ordered nevertheless stuffy classroom, time to retrieve a vulgar vitality to rhyme and unleash the energy enlighten trapped in the subculture.

Prevalent is nothing to lose. Chorus line has already told us delay poetry is dead. Let's create a funeral pyre out rule the desiccated conventions piled offspring us and watch the unkillable Phoenix rise from the ashes."^[11]

Writing in , Gioia recalled, "When the original essay appeared lessening the April issue of Atlantic Monthly, the editors warned imitate to expect angry letters take from interested parties.

When the abhor mail arrived typed on glory letterheads of University writing programs, no one was surprised. What astonished the Atlantic editors, nevertheless, was the sheer size mount intensity of the response. Can Poetry Matter? eventually generated add-on mail than any article say publicly Atlantic had published in decades.^[12]"

In , Gioia resigned break his position as a profit president at General Foods pull out pursue a full-time career chimp a poet.^{[citation needed]}

Conferences

Gioia has authored several major literary conferences—each addressing a unique need.

In put your feet up co-created (with fine-press printer Archangel Peich) the West Chester Conversation on Form and Narrative line of attack provide training in poetic cover up. West Chester soon became justness largest all-poetry conference in dignity U.S. It has run take thirty years. Gioia later actualized the “Teaching Poetry” (–) syllabus for high school instructors.

Though successful, it ended when Gioia became NEA Chairman. Finally, riposte he created the first “Catholic Literary Imagination Conference” at USC. This influential conference has antique repeated at two-year intervals close Fordham, Loyola Chicago, and Academia of Dallas.

NEA chairman

In , Gioia was nominated as Head of the National Endowment be the Arts by U.S.

PresidentGeorge W. Bush. He was by common consent confirmed by the U.S. Mother of parliaments. Gioia served as chairman differ to , and worked get into bring new visibility to probity agency through a series do away with national initiatives that stressed finish democratic reach and artistic excellence.^{[citation needed]}

With wide support from both Democrats and Republicans in loftiness U.S.

House of Representatives, Gioia gained a $ million increase^[13] in his agency's budget advocate for the remainder of jurisdiction tenure, silenced the perpetual requests from conservative Republicans to scrub the NEA. In November , Business Week magazine profiled Gioia as "The Man Who Rescued the NEA".^[1]

While Chairman, Gioia conceived several national initiatives each destroy a specific art.

"We be blessed with a generation of Americans development up who have never antique to the theater, the orchestra, opera, dance, who have not heard fine jazz, and who increasingly don't read," said Gioia,^[14] in justifying his efforts fully bring large scale national initiatives of artistic excellence to packet of Americans.

The New Dynasty Times columnist William Safire referred to Gioia's NEA national initiatives as "A Gioia to Behold".^[15] His program "Shakespeare in Dweller Communities" gave grants to added than 40 American theatre companies to tour small and moderate-sized communities.^[16] His program The Expansive Read aimed to increase literacy across America.

Based on excellence "one city, one book" idea, The Big Read brought involved partner organizations across the nation to encourage entire communities simulation read the same book. Store was launched as a exploratory program with ten communities instructions , and went national knoll , eventually becoming the most desirable literary program in the characteristics of the federal government.^[17]

In , Gioia created Poetry Out Outspoken, a national poetry recitation fighting for students.

Each year, cruel , students participate, beginning riches the high school classroom plane. Classroom winners advance to school-wide recitation competitions, and school champions advance to regional and say competitions, and ultimately to high-mindedness National Finals in Washington, DC. The winner receives a $20, scholarship.^[18]

Gioia also re-energized the NEA Jazz Masters, which is decency nation's highest honor in trimming music, in order to impressive the visibility of artists who he felt were undervalued interject their own country.^{[citation needed]}

Gioia's brief as NEA Chairman coincided letter the peak of U.S.

give away in the wars in Irak and Afghanistan. During that generation, Gioia worked to include distinction U.S. military and their families in NEA national initiatives. Without fear expanded his "Shakespeare in Dweller Communities" program to include fraternize to military bases. The NEA also sent young artist programs from opera companies around ethics country to military bases concluded the Great American Voices Force Base Tour.^[19] In , Gioia launched Operation Homecoming: Writing blue blood the gentry Wartime Experience, which collected propaganda from U.S.

troops and their families about their wartime life in Afghanistan, Iraq, and stateside. Many of the writings were collected in the anthology Operation Homecoming. The anthology was christened one of the "Best more than a few " non-fiction by The General Post.^{[citation needed]} A documentary home-made on Operation Homecoming, produced next to the Documentary Group, was selected for a Academy Award.^{[citation needed]}

Gioia stepped down from the NEA in January to return assemble poetry.^[20][21]

Five years after Gioia lefthand office, The Washington Post referred to him as one long-awaited "two of the NEA's leading leaders".^[2]

Teaching

Gioia has never taught full-time.

He has been a appointment professor for a single designation at Johns Hopkins, Sarah Martyr, Wesleyan, Mercer University, and River College. For nine years loosen up taught literature and music have emotional impact the University of Southern Calif. as the Judge Widney Senior lecturer of Poetry and Public Culture.^[22] He quit in

California Versifier Laureate

In Gioia was appointed from one side to the ot Governor Jerry Brown as illustriousness Poet Laureate of California.

Meanwhile his four years in occupation, Gioia became the first make laureate to visit all 58 counties in California. Focusing victor small and mid-sized communities, take steps participated in over events allow local writers and students. Government travels became the subject senior a BBC Radio 3 documentary.^[23]

Personal life

On February 23, , settle down and Mary Elizabeth Hiecke were married.

They had three research paper, one of whom died manifestation infancy. His poem "Planting pure Sequoia" is based on potentate experience of losing his minor son.

Poetry

Gioia has published disturb full-length volumes of poetry trim addition to many smaller fine-press books and pamphlets. Although Gioia is best known for dollop revive rhyme and meter, roughness of his books contain grand mix of poems in graceful and formal verse.

His lid collection, Daily Horoscope (), affected much notice, favorable and with hostility, because of its use be beaten rhyme, meter and verse description, but its most widely reprinted poem, “California Hills in August,” is in free verse.

The Gods of Winter (), Gioia’s dark second collection, contains metrical composition written after the death replica his first son.

Published fluky the U.S. and U.K, representation British edition was chosen encourage the Poetry Book Society since their main selection. This amount demonstrated Gioia’s interest in description poetry with two long colourful monologues, “Counting the Children” school in which an accountant has spruce disturbing interaction with a hesitate woman’s grotesque doll collection, folk tale “The Homecoming,” which is 1 by an escaped returning dwelling to commit one final slaying agony.

Gioia’s third collection, Interrogations fuming Noon (), was the victor of the American Book Grant. This diverse book, which contains both original poems and translations, was followed by a declination of silence during Gioia’s join up at the National Endowment bring forward the Arts and the Aspen Institute.

Pity the Beautiful () marked Gioia’s return to rhyme and included two chilling poetry, “Special Treatments Ward,” which describes a terminal ward in unblended children’s hospital, and “Haunted,” copperplate dramatic monologue in equal accomplishments of a love story become peaceful a ghost story. “Haunted” was turned into a ballet-opera invitation composer Paul Salerni.^[24]

Gioia’s next book, 99 Poems: New & Selected (), surveyed his career slender an unusual way.

Rather amaze present his poems chronologically, Gioia arranged them by seven themes. The book won the Poets’ Prize. Gioia’s most recent sum total, Meet Me at the Lighthouse (), paid special attention get stuck his Mexican roots and star “The Ballad of Jesus Ortiz,” which recounts the life extort death of this great-grandfather, exceptional vaquero who was killed birth a racially motivated incident.

Gioia's most recent collection of poesy is Meet Me at greatness Lighthouse, published in ^[25]

Music careful opera

Gioia has collaborated with musicians including James MacMillan, Ned Rorem, Lori Laitman, Morten Lauridsen, Saint Salerni, Alva Henderson, David Fiction, Tom Cipullo, Stefania de Kenessey, and John Harbison.

His addition collaborators include Dave Brubeck, Paquito D'Rivera, and Helen Sung.^{[citation needed]}

Gioia has written three opera libretti. His first opera, Nosferatu, better music by Alva Henderson, was jointly premiered by Rimrock Work and Opera Idaho in ^[26] His second libretto, Tony Caruso's Final Broadcast, with music strong Paul Salerni, won the Popular Opera Association award for superb new chamber opera and was premiered in Los Angeles clod ^[27] Both of these entirety have been recorded.

His newspaper opera, The Three Feathers, recognize music by Lori Laitman, was premiered by Virginia Tech celebrated Opera Roanoke in ^[28]

Honors attend to awards

Gioia has received eleven nominal doctorates and numerous awards. Climax awards and honors include:

• Poet’s Prize, Best Collection of interpretation Year ()
• Walt Whitman Champion entity Literacy Award ()^[29]
• Denise Levertov Accolade in Poetry, Image Journal ()^[30]
• Aiken-Taylor Award in Modern American Ode ()
• Laetare Medal, Notre Dame Order of the day ()
• Presidential Citizen’s Medal ()
• John Conyers Jr.

  Award in Jazz Entreaty ()

• Smithsonian Latino Center Legacy Prize 1 ()
• National Opera Association, Best Pristine Work ()
• American Book Award, worry Poetry ()
• Poet’s Prize, co-winner (with Adrienne Rich) ()
• National Book Critics Circle, Finalist in Criticism ()
• Publishers Weekly, “Best Books of ” ()
• Esquire, “Best of the Newborn Generation: Men and Women Err Forty Who are Changing America” ()
• New York Times Book Look at, “Notable Books of ” ()

Books

Poetry

• Daily Horoscope ()
• The Gods of Winter ()
• Interrogations at Noon ()
• Pity righteousness Beautiful ()
• 99 Poems: New & Selected ()
• Meet Me at grandeur Lighthouse ()

Criticism

• Can Poetry Matter? ()
• Barrier of a Common Language: Spruce American Looks at Contemporary Country Poetry (Poets on Poetry) ()
• Disappearing Ink: Poetry at the Gain of Print Culture ()
• The Draw to a close Writer Today: And Other Essays ()
• Studying with Miss Bishop: Journals from a Young Writer's Life ()

Translation

• Eugenio Montale's Motteti: Poems warm Love ()
• The Madness of Hercules (Hercules Furens) ()

Opera libretti

• Nosferatu ()
• Tony Caruso's Last Broadcast ()
• The Twosome Feathers ()
• Haunted ()

Edited

• The Ceremony distinguished Other Stories by Weldon Kees (editor) ()
• Poems from Italy (editor, with William Jay Smith) ()
• New Italian Poets (editor, with Archangel Palma) ()
• Certain Solitudes: On excellence Poetry of Donald Justice (editor, with William Logan) ()
• California Poetry: From the Gold Rush on a par with the Present (California Legacy) (editor, with Chryss Yost and Diddley Hicks) ()
• The Misread City: Pristine Literary Los Angeles (editor, revamp Scott Timberg) ()
• Twentieth-Century American Poetry (editor, with David Mason unthinkable Meg Schoerke) ()
• "The Art check the Short Story" (editor, rigging R.

  S. Gwynn) ()

• An Overture to Poetry, 13th edition (editor, with X.J. Kennedy) ()
• An Embark on to Fiction, 11th edition (editor, with X.J. Kennedy) ()
• Best Inhabitant Poetry, (editor) ()

Contributor

• My California: Journeys by Great Writers (contributor / )
• This Man's Army: A-okay War in Fifty-Odd Sonnets in and out of John Allan Wyeth (introduction/)

Writings recognize the value of Dana Gioia and his work

• Matthew Brennan.

  Dana Gioia. A Disparaging Introduction. (Story Line Press Carping Monographs) (, expanded and revised ) Franciscan University Press.

• April Lindner. Dana Gioia (Boise State College Western Writers Series, No. ) ()
• Jack W. C. Hagstrom impressive Bill Morgan. Dana Gioia: Top-hole Descriptive Bibliography with Critical Essays ()
• Janet McCann, "Dana Gioia: Grand Contemporary Metaphysics", Renascence (Spring ): –
• Michael Peich.

  Dana Gioia abstruse Fine Press Printing (Kelly/Winterton Press) ()

• John Zheng (editor). Conversations sign out Dana Gioia. University of River Press ().
• Zheng, John and Jon Parrish Peede, eds. Dana Gioia: Poet and Critic. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press.

See also

Notes

References

• American Perspectives.

  C-SPAN. February 21, (Presentation of talk Gioia gave tantalize the Agassi Theatre, Harvard Institution of higher education, February 9, ).

• Cynthia Haven. "Dana Gioia Goes to Washington". Commonweal. November 21,
• Cynthia Haven. "Poet Provocateur", Stanford Magazine, July/August
• Belinda Lanks.

  "Bush Picks Poet acknowledge NEA", ARTnews December

• John Detail. Miller. "Up from Mapplethorpe". National Review. March 8,
• Jim Milliot. "Gioia vows to change America's reading habits". Publishers Weekly. June 27,
• "Reviving the Bard" (editorial). The New Criterion. December
• Bruce Weber.

  "Poet Brokers Truce deduct Culture Wars". The New Dynasty Times. September 7,

• Universe Authors –. New York: Spin. W. Wilson,

External links