Peter Levitt (born September 2, 1946 in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
) is a poet and translator. He is also the founder and teacher of the Salt Spring Zen Circle, in the Soto Zen lineage of
Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi.
Background
He has taught poetry, writing and creativity workshops and seminars around the world, including at the C. G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles,
Naropa Institute ''Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics'', and as a faculty member in poetry and translation for the MFA Writers Program at
Antioch University
Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. Founded in 1852 as Antioch College, its first president was politician, abolitionist, and education reformer Horace Mann. It changed its ...
. He emigrated to Canada in 2000 and became a citizen shortly thereafter. He is an instructor in the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...
Creative Writing Optional Residency MFA Program. He was in the anthology and film, ''Poets Against the War''. He was at the 2009 Montreal Zen Poetry Festival.
He lives with his wife, poet Shirley Graham, and their son, Tai, on one of the
Gulf Islands
The Gulf Islands are a group of islands in the Salish Sea between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia.
Etymology
The name "Gulf Islands" comes from "Gulf of Georgia," the original term used by George Vancouver in his ...
in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
.
Awards
* 1989 Lannan Foundation Literary Award in Poetry
* 2004
Canada Council for the Arts
The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...
Work
Poetry
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* ; Blissful Monkey Press 2011 (Second Edition)
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Essays
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Editor / Translator
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*Kazuaki Tanahashi (August 2010) ''Shobo Genzo: Zen Master Dogen's Treasury of the True Dharma Eye'', associate editor, Peter Levitt
The Essential Dogen: Writings of the Great Zen Master (Shambhala Publications, April 2013) edited by Peter Levitt and Kazuaki Tanahashi
*''The Complete Cold Mountain: Poems of the Legendary Hermit Hanshan''. (Shambhala Publications, 2018) Translated by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Peter Levitt
References
External links
Author's websitebio"Peter Levitt Book Launch", ''The Grapevine'', UBC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levitt, Peter
University of British Columbia faculty
20th-century Canadian poets
Canadian male poets
Antioch University faculty
1946 births
Living people
20th-century Canadian male writers