Joe Amato (born May 31, 1955, in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

, and raised in the metro area) is an

American writer American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry ...

best known for his

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

and his work in

poetics Poetics is the theory of structure, form, and discourse within literature, and, in particular, within poetry. History The term ''poetics'' derives from the Ancient Greek ποιητικός ''poietikos'' "pertaining to poetry"; also "creative" an ...

Biography

A licensed

Professional Engineer Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process thro ...

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 ...

, Amato spent seven years in industry working in various project engineering capacities before returning to graduate school. He holds degrees in mathematics and mechanical engineering from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

(B.S./B.S., 1976), and degrees in English from

University at Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

(M.A., 1986,

Doctor of Arts The Doctor of Arts (D.A.; occasionally D.Arts or Art.D. from the Latin ''artium doctor'') is a discipline-based terminal doctoral degree that was originally conceived and designed to be an alternative to the traditional research-based Doctor of ...

, 1989). Amato is the author of eleven books, including a memoir and three novels, and numerous essays and reviews. With his frequent writing partner, Kass Fleisher, he wrote several screenplays (none of which have been produced to date). From 2003 to 2023, Amato was a member of the creative writing faculty at

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

Normal, Illinois Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and Illinois' seventh most ...

. He's the former production manager at Steerage Press.

Books

of a Finer Age''
1994)
''Bookend: Anatomies of a Virtual Self''
(

SUNY Press The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

, 1997)
''Finger Exorcised''
(

BlazeVOX Books BlazeVOX Books, often stylized as BlazeVOX ooks'', is an independent publisher founded by Geoffrey Gatza and based in Buffalo, New York. Since 2000, it has published more than 350 books of poetry and prose, most of which fall within the sphere ...

, 2006)
''Under Virga''
(

Chax Press Charles Alexander (born 1954) is an American poet, publisher, and book artist. He is the director and editor-in-chief of Chax Press. Alexander also served as the Director of the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts from 1993 until 1995, and as book ...

, 2006)
''Industrial Poetics: Demo Tracks for a Mobile Culture''
(

University of Iowa Press The University of Iowa Press is a university press that is part of the University of Iowa. Established in 1969, thUniversity of Iowa Pressis an academic publisher of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. The UI Press is the only universit ...

, 2006)
''Pain Plus Thyme''
(Factory School, 2008)
''Once an Engineer: A Song of the Salt City''
(

, 2009)
''Big Man with a Shovel''
(Steerage Press, 2011)
Taylor's Last Night''
(

Dalkey Archive Press Dalkey Archive Press is an American publisher of fiction, poetry, foreign translations and literary criticism specializing in the publication or republication of lesser-known, often avant-garde works. The company has offices in Funks Grove, Il ...

, 2014)
''Sipping Coffee @ Carmela's''Lit Fest Press
2016)
''Samuel Taylor's Hollywood Adventure''
(

Bordighera Press Bordighera Press is an independent publisher that was founded in 1989 by Fred Gardaphé, Paolo Giordano, and Anthony Julian Tamburri. Committed to Italian and Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) a ...

, 2018)

External links

Official site of Joe Amato
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amato, Joe Poets from New York (state) American memoirists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers Syracuse University alumni 1955 births Living people Illinois State University faculty Writers from Syracuse, New York 21st-century American novelists 20th-century American poets 21st-century American poets American male novelists American male poets 21st-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Novelists from Illinois 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers