Brigit Pegeen Kelly (1951 – October 14, 2016) was an American poet and teacher. Born in Palo Alto, California, Kelly grew up in southern Indiana and lived much of her adult life in central Illinois. An intensely private woman, little is known about her life.

Career

Kelly was the winner of numerous awards and citations for her poetry, including the

Yale Younger Poets The Yale Series of Younger Poets is an annual event of Yale University Press aiming to publish the debut collection of a promising American poet. Established in 1918, the Younger Poets Prize is the longest-running annual literary award in the Uni ...

award, a

Whiting award The Whiting Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. The award is sponsored by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English; standard E ...

, and, in 1997, was named the Lamont Poet at the

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

. Kelly was a professor of Creative Writing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and served as senior poetry editor of ''

Ninth Letter ''Ninth Letter'' is a literary magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. It is an interdisciplinary collaboration between thSchool of Art + Designand the Creative Writing Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaig ...

''. She also taught, during different periods, at the University of California at Irvine, Purdue University, and Warren Wilson College.

Awards

*2008:

Fellowship of the Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreac ...

*2006: Fellowship from the

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been ...

*2005:

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

(poetry), Finalist (for ''The Orchard'') *2005: National Book Critics' Circle (poetry), Finalist *2005: Los Angeles Times Book Award (poetry), Finalist *2005: National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship *1999: American Academy of Arts and Letters Witter Bynner Poetry Prize *1996:

Whiting Award The Whiting Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. The award is sponsored by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English; standard E ...

*1995: Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Poetry, Finalist *1994: Lamont Poetry Prize (for ''Song'') *1986:

Award, selected by James Merrill *1986: Discovery/'' The Nation'' Poetry Prize

Books

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Chapbooks

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Anthologies

* * * * * *

References

External links

Academy of American Poets BiographyProfile at The Whiting Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Brigit Pegeen 1951 births 2016 deaths Purdue University faculty Warren Wilson College faculty University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty University of California, Irvine faculty American women poets Yale Younger Poets winners Writers from Illinois Poets from Illinois American women academics 21st-century American women