Michael Anania (August 5, 1939) is an American poet, novelist, and essayist. His modernist poetry meticulously evokes Midwestern prairies and rivers. His autobiographical novel, ''Red Menace'', captured mid-twentieth century cold war angst and the colloquial speech of Nebraska, while the voice in his volumes of poetry distinctively reflects rural and urban Midwestern life in a "mixture of personal voice, historical fact, journalistic observation and a haiku-like format that pares lines down to the bare bones and pushes language to its limit."
Biography
Anania was born in
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
. He grew up in a housing project and attended inner-city public schools in Omaha. He studied first at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and then completed his BA at the Municipal University of Omaha (now
University of Nebraska Omaha
The University of Nebraska Omaha (Omaha or UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was originally kno ...
).
Seeking to work with the archives of the works of poet
William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963) was an American poet, writer, and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism.
In addition to his writing, Williams had a long career as a physician practicing both pedia ...
, Anania pursued graduate work in the 1960s at SUNY Buffalo. While in New York state he taught for a year at SUNY Fredonia. He left New York in 1965 to teach for three years at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
before being hired at the
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...
, where, along with
Ralph J. Mills, Jr., he was one of the founding members of the Program for Writers in the UIC English Department. He served as the director of the program starting in 1973. He is now an emeritus professor at UIC.
In 1960 he married Joanne Oliver, a specialist in adult literacy who taught in public schools in Nebraska, New York, and Illinois, and later at
Governors State University
Governors State University (Governors State or GOVST) is a public university in University Park, Illinois. The campus is located south of Chicago, Illinois. GSU was founded in 1969. It is a public university offering degree programs at the und ...
.
Besides his work as a creative writing professor, Anania was also influential as an editor, serving as the poetry editor for Audit, and for
Partisan Review
''Partisan Review'' (''PR'') was a small-circulation quarterly "little magazine" dealing with literature, politics, and cultural commentary published in New York City. The magazine was launched in 1934 by the Communist Party USA–affiliated John ...
, as the poetry and literary editor of The Swallow Press, as a contributing editor to
Tri-Quarterly
''TriQuarterly'' is a name shared by an American literary magazine and a series of books, both operating under the aegis of Northwestern University Press. The journal is published twice a year and features fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, lite ...
and VENUE, as well as serving on the boards of
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 ...
, Prairie State Editions of the University of Illinois Press, Thunder’s Mouth Press, Encyclopedia of Chicago History, and
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 ...
. His papers from the 1950s through 2006 are archived at the University of Chicago Library.
Awards
Friends of Literature Poetry Prize (1970)
Awarded a Roadstead Fellowship (1970–1972)
Best Short Stories (1979)
Pushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize published by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are ...
V: Best of the Small Presses (1980)
Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Fiction (1980)
Five-time winner of Illinois Arts Council Literary Awards (1974–1989)
National Magazine Award (1981)
Illinois Association of Teachers of English, Author of the Year (1985)
Midwest Independent Booksellers Association Award, Best Paperback Novel (for ''The Red Menace'') (1994)
Charles T. Angoff Award for Poetry (2008)
Works by and about Anania were collected in a special themed issue of ''Valley Voices: A Literary Review'' in 2016.
Key publications
Poetry
''The Color of Dust''. Swallow Press, 1970.
''Riversongs.'' University of Illinois Press, 1978.
''The Sky at Ashland.'' 1986.
''Selected Poems.'' 1994.
''Natural Light.'' 1999.
''Heat Lines.'' Asphodel Press, 2005.
''Continuous Showings.''
MadHat Press ''MadHat Press'' is an American and international book-publishing company located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
History
MadHat was founded in 2010 by poets Carol Novack and Marc Vincenz as a platform for new American and international writing. At ...
, 2017.
Fiction
''The Red Menace: A Fiction''. 1984. Thunder's Mouth Press.
[John Matthias, “Reading Old Friends, Cont’d,” ''Southern Review.'' 1987 Jan 1, 1987; 23, 1;206-223.]
Essays
"Of living belfry and rampart: On American literary magazines since 1950."
''TriQuarterly,'' Fall 1978. 43:6-27.
''In Plain Sight: Obsessions, Morals and Domestic Laughter''. 1991. Moyer Bell.
“Messing about in Boats: A Plan B Essay.” ''Ploughshares''. 2011. Volume 37, Number 4, Winter 2011. pp. 151-155.
“When Buffalo Became ''Buffalo''.” ''Plume'': Issue #67 February 2017.
External links
Audio clip from Studs Terkel's radio show, discussing ''Red Menace''Library of Congress recording of Michael Anania and Mari Evans reading their poemsPoetry Foundation profile of AnaniaTri-Quarterly contributor's page
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anania, Michael
1939 births
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American poets
American male poets
Living people
Poets from Nebraska
University of Illinois Chicago faculty