Renée Ashley is an American poet, novelist, essayist, and educator. Presently on the faculty of

Fairleigh Dickinson University Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university with its main campuses in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Founded in 1942, Fairleigh Dickinson University currently offers more than 100 degree programs to its students. In addition to its tw ...

and an editor of ''

The Literary Review ''The Literary Review'' is an American literary magazine founded in 1957. The biannual magazine is published internationally by Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey. In addition to the publication of short stories, poems, and ...

'', Ashley is the author of five

collections of poetry A poetry collection is often a compilation of several poems by one poet to be published in a single volume or chapbook. A collection can include any number of poems, ranging from a few (e.g. the four long poems in T. S. Eliot's ''Four Quartets ...

, two

chapbook A chapbook is a small publication of up to about 40 pages, sometimes bound with a saddle stitch. In early modern Europe a chapbook was a type of printed street literature. Produced cheaply, chapbooks were commonly small, paper-covered bookle ...

s and a novel. Her work has garnered several honours including the

Brittingham Prize in Poetry The Brittingham Prize in Poetry is a major United States literary award for a book of poetry chosen from an open competition. The prize, established in 1985, is sponsored by the English Department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and is ...

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 ...

, as well as fellowships granted by the

New Jersey State Council on the Arts The New Jersey State Council on the Arts was founded in 1966 to support artistic activities in the state of New Jersey. It is funded by the New Jersey State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Art ...

and the

National Endowment of the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

. Several of her poems have been published in noted literary journals and magazines, including ''

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 ...

'', ''American Voice'', ''Bellevue Literary Review'', ''Harvard Review'', ''Kenyon Review'', and ''The Literary Review''.Poets & Writers – Directory of Writers: Renee Ashley
Retrieved December 14, 2012

Life and career

Ashley was born in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish language, Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree kno ...

and raised nearby in

Redwood City Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a po ...

. Her father worked infrequently in a

ball bearing A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...

factory and her mother was a PBX telephone operator and secretary; she was their only child.Nagy, Kim
"A Voice Answering a Voice — A Conversation with Renée Ashley"
n ''Wild River Review'' WRR 4.4 (August 1, 2007). Retrieved December 22, 2012 In interviews, she describes her parents as being an "anti influence" on her literary pursuits—mentioning that she was raised in a house that had no books and that her mother believed that "if you’re reading you’re not doing anything." Ashley attended

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 was graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in three majors (in French, English, and Comparative Literature) in 1979. Subsequently, she earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Comparative Literature from San Francisco State University in 1981.Renee Ashley at work: Bio
Retrieved December 14, 2012. Ashley came to poetry later in life and by chance. While attending a fiction writing seminar at a writer's conference at

Foothill College Foothill College is a public community college in Los Altos Hills, California. It is part of the Foothill–De Anza Community College District. It was founded on January 15, 1957, and offers 79 Associate degree programs, 1 Bachelor's degree pr ...

Los Altos Hills, California Los Altos Hills (; ''Los Altos'', Spanish for "The Heights") is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 8,489 at the 2020 census. The town is known for its affluence and expensive residential rea ...

, she was inspired to start writing poetry after "wandering away" and encountering a poetry reading by John Logan (1923–1987). Ashley presently resides in

Ringwood, New Jersey Ringwood is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 11,735, a decline of 493 (−4.0%) from the 2010 census count of 12,228, and is on the faculty of

teaching in the university's graduate degree programmes for a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

(MFA) in Creative Writing (2001–present) and Master of Arts in Creative Writing and Literature for Educators (2010–present). Since 1994, she has been on the faculty of the Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway, a large writers conference recently hosted by

Stockton University Stockton University is a public university in Galloway Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. It is named for Richard Stockton, one of the New Jersey signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence ...

(formerly Richard Stockton College) and Murphy Writing Seminars. She previously taught creative writing at

Ramapo College Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ) is a public liberal arts college in Mahwah, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. As of the fall 2021 semester, there were a total of 5,732 students enrolled at the college ...

(1989–1993) in

Mahwah, New Jersey Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area () in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the township was 25,487, a decline of 403 from the 25,890 counted in the ...

and at

Rockland Center for the Arts West Nyack is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Blauvelt, east of Nanuet, southwest of Valley Cottage, southeast of Bardonia, and west of Central Nyack ...

(1985–1995) in

West Nyack, New York West Nyack is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of Clarkstown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Blauvelt, east of Nanuet, southwest of Valley Cottage, southeast of Bardonia, and west of Central Nyac ...

. For five years (1997–2002), she was assistant poetry coordinator for the

Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation is an American philanthropic organization based in Morristown, New Jersey which nurtures leaders, ideas, and institutions that transcend self-interest while promoting a sustainable future. The foundation believe ...

, a not-for-profit philanthropic organisation that gives grants to environmental and social projects, educators and artists and operates a biennial four-day poetry festival in New Jersey that is the largest poetry event in North America. For several years, from 2007 until 2014, she was poetry editor of Fairleigh Dickinson University's literary quarterly ''

''.

Critical reception

The Los Angeles Review Red Hen Press is an American non-profit press located in Pasadena, California, and specializing in the publication of poetry, literary fiction, and nonfiction. The press is a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses, and was a final ...

'' wrote of ''The View from the Body'' (2016): "Context is everything for meaning; there is no definition free of it. We are all in a context inextricably bound up in the definition of who we are. For better or worse, that imposes limits, especially the physical ones, with death being the ultimate defining context. However, the struggle against limits remains heroic and is better than the alternatives of apathy, acquiescence, even the embrace of oppression. The struggle against limits is what creates us and makes our beloved underdogs. We are how we respond to mortality. Renee Ashley’s collection is an intellectually brilliant banner in that battle." ''

'' wrote of ''The View from the Body'' (2016): "The phantoms of Sexton, Plath, Rich, and others all inform ''The View from the Body'', but Ashley is operating in undiscovered country, pushing and probing what the line and sentence can do when called into question. Renée Ashley’s finely tuned sensibilities allow her to experiment with language and form without sacrificing meaning and beauty." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' reviewed Ashley's seventh book of poetry, ''Because I Am the Shore I Want to Be the Sea'' (2013), a series of

prose poem Prose poetry is poetry written in prose form instead of verse form, while preserving poetic qualities such as heightened imagery, parataxis, and emotional effects. Characteristics Prose poetry is written as prose, without the line breaks associat ...

s on the subjects of "sex, courtship, fear, fatigue, loyalty, companion animals, and human regret" as "squared-off, almost blindingly vivid" and "committed to individual feeling, lyric, texture, emotional rawness, and authenticity."

Poetry in Penn Station

A six-line excerpt from Ashley's poem "First Book of the Moon" in ''The Revisionist's Dream'' (2001) was selected for a permanent installation by artist

Larry Kirkland Larry Kirkland (born 1950) is an abstract sculptor whose installations are found in civic and corporate plazas in many states throughout the United States. Selected works * ''Capitalism'' (1991), Lloyd Center, Portland, Oregon * '' Garden Wrea ...

in New York City's

Pennsylvania Station Pennsylvania Station (often abbreviated Penn Station) is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to several of its grand passenger terminals. Several are still in active use by Amtrak and other transportation services; others have been ...

.New Jersey Transit
"Commissioner Fox Unveils New 7th Avenue Concourse at Penn Station N.Y.: Built For Today’s Crowds and Tomorrow’s Capacity Needs"
(news release) (September 18, 2002). Retrieved May 2, 2013.

:::"...We dream our lives But the rivers breathe flint and spark And each night we believe in everything— The shifting edge of light And dark, the possibility of what we think we are And what we think we see."

Carved in marble, this installation features excerpts from the works of several New Jersey poets (including

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among t ...

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 ...

, and

Amiri Baraka Amiri Baraka (born Everett Leroy Jones; October 7, 1934 – January 9, 2014), previously known as LeRoi Jones and Imamu Amear Baraka, was an American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He was the author of numerous bo ...

) and was part of the renovation and reconstruction of the

New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...

section of the station completed in 2002.

Works

Poetry

Ashley has released six collections of poetry and two chapbooks. * 1992: ''Salt'' (University of Wisconsin Press) * 1998: ''The Various Reason of Light'' (Avocet Press) * 2001: ''The Revisionist's Dream'' (Avocet Press) * 2006: ''The Museum of Lost Wings'' (chapbook) (Hill-Stead Museum Press) * 2009: ''Basic Heart'' (Texas Review Press) * 2010: ''The Verbs of Desiring'' (chapbook) (New American Press) * 2013: ''Because I Am the Shore I Want to Be the Sea'' (Subito Press) * 2016: ''The View from the Body'' (Black Lawrence Press)Black Lawrence Press
Authors: Renee Ashley
Retrieved August 14, 2015.

Fiction

* 2003: ''Someplace Like This'' (Permanent Press)

Essays

* 2019: ''Minglements: Prose on Poetry and Life'' (Del Sol Press)

Honors and awards

In recognition of her achievements in poetry and writing, Renée Ashley has earned the following awards and fellowships:

Awards and competitions

* 2012: Subito Press Book Award, Winner * 2009: New American Press Chapbook Competition, Winner * 2008:

X. J. Kennedy X. J. Kennedy (born Joseph Charles Kennedy on August 21, 1929, in Dover, New Jersey) is an American poet, translator, anthologist, editor, and author of children's literature and textbooks on English literature and poetry. He was long known as ...

Award in Poetry, Texas Review Press, Winner * 2007: Runner-up,

American Literary Review The ''American Literary Review'' is an American national biannual literary magazine of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Since its Fall 2013 issue, ''ALR'' has been an online digital publication. Print publications are cataloged under . Histor ...

Poetry Contest * 2006: Black Warrior Review Poetry Contest, First place * 2006: Hill-Stead Museum Sunken Garden Poetry competition, Winner * 1999: Pushcart Prize (Volume XXIV) * 1998:

Charles Angoff Award ''The Literary Review'' is an American literary magazine founded in 1957. The biannual magazine is published internationally by Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey. In addition to the publication of short stories, poems, and ...

, ''The Literary Review'' * 1997:

Poetry Contest * 1996: Chelsea Award for Poetry * 1992: Fourth Annual Kenyon Review Award for Literary Excellence * 1992‑1993: Special Mention, Pushcart Prize XVII * 1991:

, University of Wisconsin Press * 1990: Judith's Room Emerging Talent Competition * 1990: Kenyon Review Award for Literary Excellence for Emerging Writers * 1989: Robert H. Winner Award (Co‑winner), Poetry Society of America * 1989: Open Voice Award: Poetry, Writers Voice, West Side Y, NY, NY * 1988: Eve of St. Agnes Award, Negative Capability, Mobile, AL * 1988: Ruth Lake Memorial Award, Runner‑up, Poetry Society of America, NY * 1987: Ruth Lake Memorial Award, Poetry Society of America, New York, NY * 1986: Washington Prize in Poetry, Word Works Inc., Washington, DC * 1985: Cecil Hackney Literary Award, Birmingham‑Southern College * 1980: Milton Award, San Mateo County Arts Council, CA * 1978: Wings Award

Fellowships

* 2017: Associate Artist, Atlantic Center for the Arts * 2013: Fellow, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts * 2012: Fellow, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts * 2008: Associate Artist, Atlantic Center for the Arts * 2006: Full Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center * 2005: Distinguished Poet in Residence,

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

, Kansas * 2003–2004: Fellowship in Poetry, New Jersey State Council on the Arts * 1997:

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

Fellowship in Poetry * 1994–1995: Fellowship in Poetry, New Jersey State Council on the Arts * 1994: Fellow,

MacDowell Colony MacDowell is an artist's residency program in Peterborough, New Hampshire, United States, founded in 1907 by composer Edward MacDowell and his wife, pianist and philanthropist Marian MacDowell. Prior to July 2020, it was known as the MacDowell ...

, Peterborough, NH * 1993: Fellow, MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, NH * 1993: Grant, Poets & Writers, teaching * 1990: Fellow,

Yaddo Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March ...

, Saratoga Springs, NY; * 1990: Fellowship:

* 1989: Fellowship in Poetry, New Jersey State Council on the Arts * 1989: Fellowship, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation/Department of Higher Education * 1989: Grant: College Foundation,

Ramapo College of New Jersey Ramapo College of New Jersey (RCNJ) is a public liberal arts college in Mahwah, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. As of the fall 2021 semester, there were a total of 5,732 students enrolled at the college, ...

, Summer Institute Series for New Jersey Faculty * 1986‑87: Writer‑in‑Residence, Rockland Center for the Arts, West Nyack, NY * 1986: Grant, New York State Council on the Arts, Residency * 1986: Grant, Poets & Writers, Inc., New York, NY, Teaching * 1985: Fellowship in Prose, New Jersey State Council on the Arts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Renee Living people Poets from California Poets from New Jersey American women novelists Writers from Palo Alto, California San Francisco State University alumni 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists Fairleigh Dickinson University faculty American women poets 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American poets 21st-century American poets Novelists from New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people) American women academics