Urayoán Noel is a translator, poet, and critic who is the author of poetry collections, poetry criticism and books. He has received fellowships from the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

, the Bronx Council on the Arts, the Howard Foundation, and CantoMundo (where Noel has been both

fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

and faculty).

Early life and education

Originally from

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...

, he has a PhD (Spanish) from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

, 2008; an M.A. (Spanish) from Stanford University, 1999; and a B.A. (English) from Universidad de Puerto Rico.

Career

Noel is an associate professor of English and Spanish at

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. In addition, he is a contributing editor at ''Obsidian: Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora'', ''

NACLA Report on the Americas ''NACLA Report on the Americas'' is an academic journal produced by the North American Congress on Latin America. History The North American Congress on Latin America was founded on November 1966 by leaders of the New Left movement to analyze the ...

'', and ''Mandorla: New Writing from the Americas'.'' Noel's poetry and criticism is widely published. His work appears in ''Bomb'', ''Contemporary Literature'', ''Lana Turner'', ''Latino Studies'', ''

Small Axe Project The Small Axe Project is an integrated publication undertaking devoted to Caribbean intellectual and artistic work, exercised over three platforms—''Small Axe''; ''sx salon'', and ''sx visualities''—each with a different structure, medium, and p ...

'', ''CENTRO: Journal of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies'', ''Revista de Estudios Hispánicos'', ''Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies'', ''American Literary History'', and ''

Comparative Literature Studies ''Comparative Literature Studies'' (CLS) is an academic journal in the field of comparative literature. It publishes essays ranging across the traditions of Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Articles also explore movements, themes ...

''. Noel is the author of several poetry collections, including his debut collection ''Kool Logic/La lógica kool'', ''Boringkén'', ''Hi-Density Politics, and Buzzing Hemisphere/Rumor Hemisférico,'' focused on the "promotion of hemispheric politics and poetics, along with its interrogation of technology's structural and narrative interventions into diasporic cultures.''"'' Critic Kristin Dykstra notes that "Taken collectively the books produce a historic meditation that collides with, and intensifies, the frenetic energies emphasizing the immediacy of urban life." Noel's poetry has been honored with a '' Library Journal'' Top Fall Indie Poetry selection and a

National Book Critics Circle The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) is an American nonprofit organization (501(c)(3)) with more than 700 members. It is the professional association of American book review editors and critics, known primarily for the National Book Critics C ...

Small Press Highlights selection. The author's work as both editor and critic has received numerous plaudits. 2014's ''In Visible Movement: Nuyorican Poetry from the Sixties to Slam'' was the winner of the 2015/2016 Best Book Award from the Latino Studies Section of the

Latin American Studies Association The Latin American Studies Association (LASA) is the largest association for scholars of Latin American studies. Founded in 1966, it has over 12,000 members, 45 percent of whom reside outside the United States (36 percent in Latin America and the C ...

and received an honorable mention in the MLA Prize in Latina/o and Chicana/o Literary and Cultural Studies. Noel edited and translated

Pablo de Rokha Pablo de Rokha (born Carlos Ignacio Díaz Loyola; 17 October 1894 – 10 September 1968) was a Chilean poet. He won the Chilean Premio Nacional de Literatura (National Literature Prize) in 1965 and is counted among the four greats of Chilean ...

's ''Architecture of Dispersed Life: Selected Poetry'' (Shearsman Books, 2018). This book was later longlisted for the

Best Translated Book Award The Best Translated Book Award is an American literary award that recognizes the previous year's best original translation into English, one book of poetry and one of fiction. It was inaugurated in 2008 and is conferred by Three Percent, the onlin ...

, sponsored by

Open Letter Books Open Letter Books is an American publishing house based at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York. It was founded in 2008 by Chad W. Post, the Editor-in-Chief of Dalkey Archive Press. It specializes in translation, a less-populated ...

at the University of Rochester.

Personal life

Noel lives in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

where he was awarded a BRIO fellowship from the Bronx Council on the Arts.

Selected bibliography

Selected poems

Death and Taxesfrom ''Kool Logic'' ( Bilingual Press/Editorial Bilingüe, 2005) In the Faraway Suburbsfrom ''Kool Logic'' ( Bilingual Press/Editorial Bilingüe, 2005) ode to coffee oda al caféfrom '' PoetryNow''(2016) No Longer Odefrom Poem-a-Dayon August 13, 2018, by the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreach ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noel, Urayoán Living people American literary critics American male poets New York University alumni New York University faculty Stanford University alumni Writers from San Juan, Puerto Rico University of Puerto Rico alumni 1976 births