__NOTOC__ Jean Valentine (April 27, 1934December 29, 2020) was an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and the

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

Poet Laureate from 2008 to 2010. Her poetry collection, ''Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965–2003'', was awarded the 2004

National Book Award for Poetry The National Book Award for Poetry is one of five annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers".

Biography

Jean Valentine was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, on April 27, 1934. Her father was a

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

man. She received a bachelor of arts degree and a master of arts degree from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

, and lived most of her life in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where she died on December 29, 2020. Her most recent book, ''Shirt In Heaven'', was published in 2015. Before that, ''Break the Glass'', published in 2010, was a finalist for the 2011

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually for Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first presented in 1922, and is given for a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author, published ...

."Poetry"
''Past winners & finalists by category''. The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 2012-04-08. Valentine's first book, ''Dream Barker'' (

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

, 1965), was chosen in 1964 for the

Yale Series of 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 ...

and won the competition the following year. She published poems widely in literary journals and magazines, including ''The New Yorker,'' and ''Harper's Magazine,'' and ''The American Poetry Review.'' Valentine was one of five poets, including Charles Wright,

Russell Edson Russell Edson (1935 – April 29, 2014) was an American poet, novelist, writer, and illustrator. He was the son of the cartoonist-screenwriter Gus Edson. He studied art early in life and attended the Art Students League as a teenager. He began pu ...

, James Tate and

Louise Glück Louise Elisabeth Glück ( ; born April 22, 1943) is an American poet and essayist. She won the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, whose judges praised "her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal". He ...

, whose work Lee Upton considered critically in ''The Muse of Abandonment: Origin, Identity, Mastery in Five American Poets'' (Bucknell University Press, 1998). She held residencies from

Yaddo Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March ...

, the

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell ...

, Ucross, and the Lannan foundation, among others. She taught with the Graduate Writing Program at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, at the

92nd Street Y 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a cultural and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, at the corner of East 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Founded in 1874 as the Young Men's Hebrew Association, the ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, and at

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...

. She was a faculty member at the

Vermont College of Fine Arts Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...

. She was Distinguished Poet-in-Residence for

Drew University Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three scho ...

’s MFA in Poetry & Poetry in Translation. She was married to the late American historian

James Chace James Clarke Chace (October 16, 1931 – October 8, 2004) was an American historian, writing on American diplomacy and statecraft. His 12 books include the critically acclaimed ''Acheson: The Secretary of State Who Created the American World'' ...

from 1957–1968, and they are survived by two daughters, Sarah and

Rebecca Rebecca, ; Syriac: , ) from the Hebrew (lit., 'connection'), from Semitic root , 'to tie, couple or join', 'to secure', or 'to snare') () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical ...

. Valentine died in

on December 29, 2020.

Published works

;Full-length poetry collections * ''Shirt in Heaven'' (2015,

Copper Canyon Press Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. It is located in Port Townsend, Washington. Copper Canyon Press publishes new collections of poetry by both popu ...

) * ''Break the Glass'' (2010,

) * '' Little Boat'' (2007,

Wesleyan University Press Wesleyan University Press is a university press that is part of Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. The press is currently directed by Suzanna Tamminen, a published poet and essayist. History and overview Founded (in its present for ...

) * ''Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965–2003'' (2004, Wesleyan University Press) —winner of the National Book Award * ''The Cradle of the Real Life'' (2000, Wesleyan University Press) * ''Growing Darkness, Growing Light'' (1997,

Carnegie Mellon University Press Carnegie Mellon University Press is a publisher that is part of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The press specializes in literary publishing, in particular, poetry. It is headquar ...

) * ''The Under Voice: Selected Poems'' (1995, Salmon Publishing) * ''The River at Wolf'' (1992,

Alice James Books Alice James Books is an American non-profit poetry press located in Farmington, Maine and affiliated with the University of Maine at Farmington. History and mission "Alice James Books was founded as a co-operative press in Cambridge, MA in 197 ...

) * ''Night Lake'' (1992, Press of Appletree Alley: limited edition of 150, hand-bound, illustrated by Linda Plotkin.) * ''Home Deep Blue: New and Selected Poems'' (1989,

) * ''The Messenger'' (1979,

Farrar, Straus & Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...

) * ''Ordinary Things'' (1974, Farrar, Straus & Giroux) * ''Pilgrims'' (1969, Farrar, Straus & Giroux) * ''Dream Barker, and Other Poems'' (1965,

) ;Anthology publications * ''Leaving New York: Writers Look Back'' ( Hungry Mind Press, 1995) ;Anthologies edited * ''The Lighthouse Keeper: Essays on the Poetry of Eleanor Ross Taylor'' ( Hobart & William Smith, 2001).

Awards and honors

* 2004

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

for Poetry (for ''Door in the Mountain: New and Collected Poems, 1965–2003'')"National Book Awards – 2004"

National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established, "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America". Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: 'The Joy Luc ...

. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
(With acceptance speech by Valentine, essay by Dilruba Ahmed from the Awards 60-year anniversary blog, and other material.) * 1999

Shelley Memorial Award The Shelley Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need, and is ...

* 1991

Maurice English Poetry Award Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor * Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and L ...

* 1988

Beatrice Hawley Award The Alice James Award, formerly the Beatrice Hawley Award, is given annually by Alice James Books. The award includes publication of a book-length poetry manuscript and a cash prize (currently $2,000). The award was established by the press in 1986 ...

(for ''Home Deep Blue: New and Selected Poems'') * 1976

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

* 1972

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

– Literature Fellowship in Poetry NEA Literature Fellowships – Creative Writing Fellows
/ref> * 1965

References

Bibliography

* Publishers Weekly Review of ''Door in the Mountain'' by Reed Business Information (Accessed via th
Seattle Public Library
and Syndetic Solutions, Inc.) * Weiner, Tim. "James Chace, Foreign Policy Thinker, Is Dead at 72". ''The New York Times'' (Late East Coast edition), October 11, 2004, p. B.7. (Accessed via ProQuest, Document ID 710384891)

External links

Jean Valentine website

Video: Poetry Reading: Jean Valentine

* [http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch00369 Jean Valentine Papers
Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University

Audio: Jean Valentine Reading for WNYC Radio

* [http://catalog.loc.gov/ Library of Congress Online Catalog]
Author Website > Jean Valentine: Books/Bio

Author Website > Jean Valentine C.V.

* ttp://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/760 Academy of American Poets > Jean Valentine* ttp://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/aww_04/aww_04_01228.html ''Novel Guide'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Valentine, Jean 1934 births 2020 deaths American women poets Columbia University faculty National Book Award winners National Endowment for the Arts Fellows Poets from New York (state) Poets Laureate of New York (state) Radcliffe College alumni Sarah Lawrence College faculty The New Yorker people Vermont College of Fine Arts faculty Writers from Chicago Yale Younger Poets winners 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American poets 21st-century American women writers American women academics