Sue Brannan Walker, (born 1940) is a poet, author and editor. In 2015 she is the Stokes Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. The first ...

. She is a former Poet Laureate of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

"Is Poetry Dead? Not if 45 Official Laureates Are Any Indication"
''International New York Times'', By JENNIFER SCHUESSLER JULY 27, 2014

Early life and education

Walker studied at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

, earning a B.S. She then earned an MEd, M.A. and PhD at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

Career

Walker worked as an assistant professor in the English department at the

in 1980. She founded the literary journal ''

Negative capability Negative capability is a phrase first used by Romantic poet John Keats in 1817 to explain the capacity of the greatest writers (particularly Shakespeare) to pursue a vision of artistic beauty even when it leads them into intellectual confusion a ...

'' in 1981 and served as its editor. Walker became an associate professor at the University of South Alabama in 1985 and a full professor in 1991. In 1999 she chaired the department, and 2007 was named Stokes Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing. From 2003 to 2012, Walker served as the poet laureate of Alabama. She is the author of five poetry collections.

Negative Capability Press

Walker created ''Negative Capability Press'', a small press publishing house which is based in Mobile, Alabama. The company has published more than 40 books, many by nationally recognized authors and poets. A number of these were collections for which Walker served as editor, including ''Ways of Knowing: Essays on Marge Piercy'' in 1991, ''Life on the Line: Selections on Words and Healing'' in 1992, and ''Whatever Remembers Us: An Anthology of Alabama Poetry'' in 2007. Several of the books have received notable recognition: Irene Latham's ''What Came Before'' (2007) won the Independent Book Award in Poetry in 2007 and John Davis Jr.'s work was included in the 2015 Poetry House exhibit in New York City. The publisher sponsors an annual international book contest; the prize in 2015 was $2000 and a publishing contract. As 2012, Walker continued to head up the organization.

References

"Alexis Saunders, social worker, poet, researcher, dies at 34"
''Tampa Bay Times'', By Marty Clear March 11, 2010

External links

*
Interview at Silverblade
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Sue Brannan 1940 births Living people Tulane University alumni University of Alabama alumni University of South Alabama faculty 21st-century American poets Poets Laureate of Alabama