John R. Keene Jr. (born 1965 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a writer, translator, professor, and artist who was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2018. His 2022 poetry collection, Punks: New and Selected Poems, received the National Book Award for Poetry.[1]
John Keene was born and raised in the city of St. Louis, and in Webster Groves, in St. Louis County. Raised Catholic, attended parochial schools, and graduated from the Saint Louis Priory School.[2][3] He has an A.B. from Harvard College, where he was a member of the Harvard Black Community and Student Theater (C.A.S.T.) and served as co-Circulation Manager and on the Art Board of the Harvard Advocate. He received an M.F.A. from New York University, where he was a New York Times Foundation Fellow. He was a longtime member of the Dark Room Collective, an organization that from 1988 to 1998 celebrated and gave greater visibility to emerging and established writers of color, and also is a Graduate Fellow of Cave Canem.
Formerly associate professor of English and African American studies at Northwestern University, Illinois, United States, he now is Distinguished Professor of English, chairs the African American and African Studies department, and teaches in the MFA in Creative Program at Rutgers University-Newark.[4] He has taught at Brown and NYU, and at the Indiana University Writer's Conference. For several years he has served as an editorial board member for the African Poetry Book Fund, which aims to promote contemporary poetry by African poets through a range of projects, including its book series, contests, workshops, seminars, and library-development efforts.
Creative Work
His first novel, Annotations, was published by New Directions in 1995. Publishers Weekly wrote that "Annotations is a work that should not be ignored and is worthy of the highest recommendation. It is an experimental text that points a new direction for literary fiction in the 21st century."[5] A collection of poems entitled Seismosis, in conversation with artwork by Christopher Stackhouse, was published by 1913 Press in 2006.[6]
In May 2015, New Directions published Counternarratives, his collection of short fiction, including several novellas.[7] In its review Publishers Weekly described the book as "suspenseful, thought provoking, mystical, and haunting....Keene's confident writing doesn't aim for easy description or evaluation; it approaches (and defies) literature on its own terms."[8] In her May 2015 review of Counternarratives in Harper's Magazine, Christine Smallwood said of Keene and the collection, "Counternarratives is an extraordinary work of literature. Keene is a dense, intricate, and magnificent writer."[9] For this and earlier work, he received a 2016 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction.[10] In August 2016, Counternarratives was awarded an American Book Award by the Before Columbus Foundation.[11]
UK publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions released a British edition of Counternarratives in 2016.[12] Reviewer Kate Webb wrote in her TLS review of Counternarratives that "the ambition, erudition and epic sweep of [Keene's] remarkable new collection of stories, travelling from the beginnings of modernity to modernism, place it in a class of its own. His book achieves no less than an imaginative repositioning of the history of the Americas."[13] In March 2017 Fitzcarraldo was awarded the inaugural Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses for Counternarratives, a unanimous decision by all six judges, who described Keene's collection as "a once in a generation achievement for short form fiction. Its subject matter, formal inventiveness, multitude of voices, and seriousness of purpose transform a series of thematically linked stories into a complete work of art."[14][15]
GRIND, an art-poetry collaboration with photographer Nicholas Muellner, was published in February 2016 by ITI Press. A chapbook of old and new poems, Playland, was published by Seven Kitchens Press in September 2016.
Translation Projects
In 2014, Letters from a Seducer, his translation of Brazilian writer Hilda Hilst's 1991 novel Cartas de um sedutor, was published by Nightboat Books and A Bolha Editora.[16] This translation was selected for the 2015 Best Translated Book Award Fiction Longlist.[17] He has published translations from French, Portuguese and Spanish, of work by writers including Alain Mabanckou,[18]Mateo Morrison, Edimilson de Almeida Pereira, Claudia Roquette-Pinto, and Jean Wyllys, among others.
He also has given talks and published essays on translation, including "Translating Poetry, Translating Blackness," one of a series of essays curated by poet and translator Daniel Borzutzky that appears on the Poetry Foundation's Harriet blog; the essay advocates for increased translation of poets of African descent, poets who consider themselves "black" (in Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands), and other poets of color across the globe.[19]
Artistic Projects
Keene also has engaged in public and durational conceptual events such as the "Emotional Outreach Project", under the rubric of the Field Research Study Group A, beginning in 2002. He has exhibited his work several times at This Red Door's short-term galleries, in Brooklyn[20] and Berlin in 2013,[21] and in January 2014 introduced his "Emotional Outreach Project 6.0: The Emotional Exercises," at TRD's space at Kunsthalle Galapagos in Brooklyn.[20]
Bibliography
Annotations (New Directions Publishing Corporation, 1995)
Seismosis (with artist Christopher Stackhouse) (1913 Press, 2006)
Letters from a Seducer (translation of Hilda Hilst's Cartas de um sedutor) (Nightboat Books, 2014)
^"Counternarratives by John Keene". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
^Smallwood, Christine (2015-05-01). "New Books: Helen Frankenthaler's earthbound genius". Harper's Magazine. Vol. May 2015. ISSN 0017-789X. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
^"John Keene: 2016 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction". Lannan Foundation. lannan.org. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
^"The Before Columbus Foundation announces the Winners of the Thirty-Seventh Annual AMERICAN BOOK AWARDS Ceremonies, October 30, 2016, 2:00–5:00 p.m." (PDF). 2016-08-12.
john, keene, writer, john, keene, born, 1965, louis, missouri, writer, translator, professor, artist, named, macarthur, fellow, 2018, 2022, poetry, collection, punks, selected, poems, received, national, book, award, poetry, contents, biography, creative, work. John R Keene Jr born 1965 in St Louis Missouri is a writer translator professor and artist who was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2018 His 2022 poetry collection Punks New and Selected Poems received the National Book Award for Poetry 1 Contents 1 Biography 2 Creative Work 3 Translation Projects 4 Artistic Projects 5 Bibliography 6 Awards 7 References 8 External linksBiography EditJohn Keene was born and raised in the city of St Louis and in Webster Groves in St Louis County Raised Catholic attended parochial schools and graduated from the Saint Louis Priory School 2 3 He has an A B from Harvard College where he was a member of the Harvard Black Community and Student Theater C A S T and served as co Circulation Manager and on the Art Board of the Harvard Advocate He received an M F A from New York University where he was a New York Times Foundation Fellow He was a longtime member of the Dark Room Collective an organization that from 1988 to 1998 celebrated and gave greater visibility to emerging and established writers of color and also is a Graduate Fellow of Cave Canem Formerly associate professor of English and African American studies at Northwestern University Illinois United States he now is Distinguished Professor of English chairs the African American and African Studies department and teaches in the MFA in Creative Program at Rutgers University Newark 4 He has taught at Brown and NYU and at the Indiana University Writer s Conference For several years he has served as an editorial board member for the African Poetry Book Fund which aims to promote contemporary poetry by African poets through a range of projects including its book series contests workshops seminars and library development efforts Creative Work EditHis first novel Annotations was published by New Directions in 1995 Publishers Weekly wrote that Annotations is a work that should not be ignored and is worthy of the highest recommendation It is an experimental text that points a new direction for literary fiction in the 21st century 5 A collection of poems entitled Seismosis in conversation with artwork by Christopher Stackhouse was published by 1913 Press in 2006 6 In May 2015 New Directions published Counternarratives his collection of short fiction including several novellas 7 In its review Publishers Weekly described the book as suspenseful thought provoking mystical and haunting Keene s confident writing doesn t aim for easy description or evaluation it approaches and defies literature on its own terms 8 In her May 2015 review of Counternarratives in Harper s Magazine Christine Smallwood said of Keene and the collection Counternarratives is an extraordinary work of literature Keene is a dense intricate and magnificent writer 9 For this and earlier work he received a 2016 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction 10 In August 2016 Counternarratives was awarded an American Book Award by the Before Columbus Foundation 11 UK publisher Fitzcarraldo Editions released a British edition of Counternarratives in 2016 12 Reviewer Kate Webb wrote in her TLS review of Counternarratives that the ambition erudition and epic sweep of Keene s remarkable new collection of stories travelling from the beginnings of modernity to modernism place it in a class of its own His book achieves no less than an imaginative repositioning of the history of the Americas 13 In March 2017 Fitzcarraldo was awarded the inaugural Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses for Counternarratives a unanimous decision by all six judges who described Keene s collection as a once in a generation achievement for short form fiction Its subject matter formal inventiveness multitude of voices and seriousness of purpose transform a series of thematically linked stories into a complete work of art 14 15 GRIND an art poetry collaboration with photographer Nicholas Muellner was published in February 2016 by ITI Press A chapbook of old and new poems Playland was published by Seven Kitchens Press in September 2016 Translation Projects EditIn 2014 Letters from a Seducer his translation of Brazilian writer Hilda Hilst s 1991 novel Cartas de um sedutor was published by Nightboat Books and A Bolha Editora 16 This translation was selected for the 2015 Best Translated Book Award Fiction Longlist 17 He has published translations from French Portuguese and Spanish of work by writers including Alain Mabanckou 18 Mateo Morrison Edimilson de Almeida Pereira Claudia Roquette Pinto and Jean Wyllys among others He also has given talks and published essays on translation including Translating Poetry Translating Blackness one of a series of essays curated by poet and translator Daniel Borzutzky that appears on the Poetry Foundation s Harriet blog the essay advocates for increased translation of poets of African descent poets who consider themselves black in Asia Australia and the Pacific Islands and other poets of color across the globe 19 Artistic Projects EditKeene also has engaged in public and durational conceptual events such as the Emotional Outreach Project under the rubric of the Field Research Study Group A beginning in 2002 He has exhibited his work several times at This Red Door s short term galleries in Brooklyn 20 and Berlin in 2013 21 and in January 2014 introduced his Emotional Outreach Project 6 0 The Emotional Exercises at TRD s space at Kunsthalle Galapagos in Brooklyn 20 Bibliography EditAnnotations New Directions Publishing Corporation 1995 Seismosis with artist Christopher Stackhouse 1913 Press 2006 Letters from a Seducer translation of Hilda Hilst s Cartas de um sedutor Nightboat Books 2014 Counternarratives New Directions Publishing Corporation 2015 Fitzcarraldo Editions UK 2016 Editions Cambourakis France 2016 GRIND with photographer Nicholas Muellner ITI Press 2016 Playland Seven Kitchens Press 2016 Punks New amp Selected Poems The Song Cave 2021 Awards EditFellowship in Fiction Artists Foundation of Massachusetts and Massachusetts Cultural Council 1990 AGNI John Cheever Short Fiction Prize in 2000 for An Outtake from the Ideological Origins of the American Revolution 22 Fellowship in Poetry New Jersey State Council on the Arts 2003 Whiting Award for fiction poetry 2005 American Book Award for Counternarratives 2016 Lannan Foundation Residency 2016 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction 2016 Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses UK to Fitzcarraldo Editions for Counternarratives 2017 Windham Campbell Literature Prize in Fiction 2018 23 MacArthur Foundation Genius Fellowship 2018 Harold D Vursell Award for Distinguished Prose American Academy of Arts and Letters 2019 Fellow New York Institute for the Humanities 2019 Thom Gunn Prize The Publishing Triangle 2022 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry 2022 National Book Award for Poetry 2022 References Edit 2022 Winners Lambda Literary Retrieved 2022 08 25 John Keene www ndbooks com September 8 2011 Outtakes More from John Keene Mark Sussman Retrieved 2022 11 19 John Keene Rutgers SASN Retrieved 2022 11 19 Annotations by John Keene www publishersweekly com Retrieved 2022 11 19 Whiting Foundation www whiting org Retrieved 2022 11 19 Counternarratives www ndbooks com 2016 05 17 Counternarratives by John Keene www publishersweekly com Retrieved 2022 11 19 Smallwood Christine 2015 05 01 New Books Helen Frankenthaler s earthbound genius Harper s Magazine Vol May 2015 ISSN 0017 789X Retrieved 2022 11 19 John Keene 2016 Lannan Literary Award for Fiction Lannan Foundation lannan org Retrieved 2019 02 08 The Before Columbus Foundation announces the Winners of the Thirty Seventh Annual AMERICAN BOOK AWARDS Ceremonies October 30 2016 2 00 5 00 p m PDF 2016 08 12 Fitzcarraldo Editions fitzcarraldoeditions com Retrieved 2022 11 19 Exceed every limit TLS Retrieved 2022 11 19 Inaugural Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses Awards Republic of Consciousness Republic of Consciousness 2017 07 19 Archived from the original on 2017 07 19 Retrieved 2022 11 22 Fitzcarraldo s Counternarratives wins inaugural Republic of Consciousness Prize The Bookseller Retrieved 2022 11 19 Brandeis University Press Home Three Percent Retrieved 2022 11 19 You Who Are On Your Way Over There Magazine A Public Space apublicspace org Foundation Poetry 2022 11 19 Translating Poetry Translating Blackness by John Keene Poetry Foundation Retrieved 2022 11 19 a b This Red Door this red door REH KUNST This Red Door www schablonensammler net 2014 08 09 Archived from the original on 2014 08 09 Retrieved 2022 11 22 Agni Online agnionline bu edu Yale awards eight writers 165 000 Windham Campbell Prizes YaleNews 2018 03 07 Retrieved 2018 03 07 External links EditProfile at The Whiting Foundation Profile John KeeneJohn Keene at Rutgers Literary Mixtapes PW Talks with John Keene Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title John Keene writer amp oldid 1132752887, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
