Kiki Petrosino (born 1979) is an American poet and professor of poetry. She currently teaches at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Kiki Petrosino | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1979 (age 44–45) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | Poet, educator |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia University of Chicago Iowa Writers’ Workshop |
| Notable works | Witch Wife (2017) |
| Notable awards | UNT Rilke Prize (2021) Pushcart Prize (2019) |
Early life and education
editPetrosino was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland.[1] After spending two years in Switzerland teaching Italian and English in a private school,[2] she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia (2001), a Master of Arts in humanities degree from the University of Chicago (2004), and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop (2006).[3]
Career
editPetrosino previously taught at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, and Spalding University, also in Louisville.
Her collection of poetry Witch Wife was cited by The New York Times as one of the best works of poetry of 2017.[4] Her work has earned her fellowships such as the Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council[5] and the 2019 Fellowship in Creative Writing from the National Endowment for the Arts.[6] Her prose has appeared in publications including Ploughshares, Poetry Magazine, Iowa Review, and more.[7]
Reviewers have praised Petrosino's use of repetition and unconventional hyphenation in conjunction with traditional poetic forms such as the sestina.[8] Petrosino has cited her familiarity with the Italian language and its comparative inflexibility as inspiration for her play with English.[8]
Honors and awards
edit- Rilke Prize, University of North Texas, 2021
- Creative Writing Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts, 2019
- Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship, Kentucky Arts Council, 2019
- Virginia Humanities Fellowship, Fall 2016
- Commonwealth Center for the Humanities and Society Faculty Fellowship, University of Louisville, 2016–17
Works
editPetrosino has published four collections through Sarabande Books, with Black Genealogy being published by Brian Mill Press.
- Fort Red Border (2009)
- Hymn for the Black Terrific (2013)
- Witch Wife (2017)
- Black Genealogy (illustrations by Lauren Haldeman) (2017)[9]
- White Blood: A Lyric of Virginia (2020)
Petrosino's poems have appeared in Best American Poetry and Tin House.[3]
References
edit- ^ Wade, Julie Marie (April 27, 2018). "Woven from Dreams: A Conversation with Kiki Petrosino". The Rumpus. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ "Kiki Petrosino". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ a b "Top poet Kiki Petrosino joins Spalding MFA in Writing faculty". Spalding University. December 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ Orr, David (December 22, 2017). "The Best Poetry of 2017". The New York Times. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ Ruffing, Molly (May 6, 2019). "An Evening of Poetry with Kiki Petrosino". The Lawrentian. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ "Kiki Petrosino". Poets.org. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ "Department of English". english.as.virginia.edu. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Leon, Sam (June 29, 2018). "Interview with Kiki Petrosino". The Iowa Review. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
- ^ "Black Genealogy by Kiki Petrosino". Brain Mill Press. Retrieved March 5, 2021.