Joseph O. Legaspi is an American poet. He is the author of two full length poetry collections and two full-length poetry chapbooks. With the poet Sarah Gambito, he cofounded Kundiman, a national nonprofit organization that nurtures generations of writers and readers of Asian American literature. He is a juror of the

Neustadt International Prize for Literature The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is a biennial award for literature sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and its international literary publication, ''World Literature Today''. It is considered one of the more prestigious inte ...

Early life and education

Joseph O. Legaspi earned a bachelor of arts degree from Loyola Marymount University and a master's in fine arts from

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 ...

Career

Joseph O. Legaspi received a poetry fellowship from the

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

. His poem "Ode to My Mother's Hair" was anthologized in '' Language for a New Century'' (W.W. Norton). In 2016, his poem "Somebody" appeared in Poem-A-Day from the Academy of American Poets. In April 2019, ''

Orion Magazine ''Orion'' is a quarterly, advertisement-free, nonprofit magazine focused on nature, culture, and place addressing environmental and societal issues. It has published such authors as Wendell Berry, Barry Lopez, Terry Tempest Williams, Michael Po ...

'' chose Legaspi's poem "The Three Sparrows" as one of its top seven works for

National Poetry Month National Poetry Month, a celebration of poetry which takes place each April, was introduced in 1996 and is organized by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. The Academy of Amer ...

. Legaspi lives and works in New York City, where he serves on the faculty of

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

's Creative Writing Program.

Early life and education

Joseph O. Legaspi was born and raised in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

; his family immigrated to Los Angeles when he was 12. He earned a BA at Loyola Marymount University and an MFA from New York University.

Works

* ''Imago,''

Cavankerry Press Cavankerry Press is an American nonprofit literary press located in Fort Lee, New Jersey, which publishes poetry and nonfiction. Cavankerry Press is a member of the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, has thrice received a Citation of Ex ...

2007. ,
Subways (Thrush Press 2013)
* ''Aviary Bestiary'', Detroit, MI : Organic Weapon Arts, 2014. , *''Threshold'',

2017. , * ''Postcards'', Massapequa, NY : Ghostbird Press, 2019.

Awards

* Global Filipino Literary Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Legaspi, Joseph Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American male poets Filipino emigrants to the United States Loyola Marymount University alumni New York University alumni Poets from New York (state)