Mona Lisa Saloy is an American poet and folklorist. She is the Poet Laureate of Louisiana since 2021.
Biography
Mona Lisa Saloy was born in
and got her education in the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...
, where she graduated in 1979 with a BA in English. She then went to
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different b ...
and left with her MA in creative writing and English in 1982. She then went to
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
, which she left with a PhD in English and MFA in creative writing in 2005 and 1988. Saloy is the
Conrad N. Hilton
Conrad Nicholson Hilton Sr. (December 25, 1887 – January 3, 1979) was an American businessman who founded the Hilton Hotels chain. From 1912 to 1916 Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature, but became disil ...
Endowed Professor of English at
Dillard University
Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of Ch ...
.
Saloy's poetry appears in a number of publications, including ''Louisiana Folklore Miscellany'', ''The Southern Poetry Anthology'' and the ''Children's Folklore Review''. Her book ''Red Beans & Ricely Yours'' won the 2005
T. S. Eliot Prize
The T. S. Eliot Prize for Poetry is a prize that was, for many years, awarded by the Poetry Book Society (UK) to "the best collection of new verse in English first published in the UK or the Republic of Ireland" in any particular year. The Priz ...
, as well as the
PEN/Oakland Josephine Miles Prize in 2006. Saloy is known for writing about New Orleans
Creole cultural experience. She has been awarded a number of honours, including the Mayor's Office Tricentennial Grant in 2018.
Works
* ''Red Beans & Ricely Yours: Poems'' (Truman State University Press, 2015)
* ''Second Line Home, New Orleans Poems'' (Truman State University Press)
* ''Black Creole Chronicles'' (University of New Orleans Press, 2023)
Sources
Living people
American poets
Year of birth missing (living people)
Poets Laureate of Louisiana
{{US-poet-stub