Lynn Strongin

Born in New York City in 1939, Lynn Strongin's name comes up regularly in college classes as one of the most unique voices in American poetry. Strongin has lived in British Columbia for more than a quarter century, but considers herself a profoundly American writer. During the 1960s, she worked with Denise Levertov amidst the lively political environment of Berkeley, California. One of the great imagist poets of the 20th century, Strongin's poetry and prose have been published worldwide in over 70 print and online journals; she has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize in poetry five times. Her book Albino Peacock: Tales of a Jewish Girl in the South will be published in late 2008 alongside her latest book of poems, Cape Seventy, nominated for the Griffin Award for Excellence in poetry. Anthologized in 30 different volumes, her work is included in the award-winning Visiting Emily: Poems Inspired by the Life and Work of Emily Dickinson. She is the author of many books of prose and poetry, including three recent books of poetry: Rembrandt’s Smock (Plain View Press), The Girl with Copper Colored Hair (Conflux Press), and Wyves of the Fire Dye (Last Heron Press.) She is also the editor of the anthology The Sorrow Psalms: A Book of Twentieth Century Elegy (University of Iowa Press), and its companion volume, Crazed by the Sun: Poems of Ecstasy. In her four-decade career Strongin has received two PEN grants and an NEA award in creative writing.