Adrian Matejka facts for kids

Adrian Matejka is an American poet and writer. He is known for his powerful poetry collections, including The Devil's Garden and Mixology. His book The Big Smoke received many honors, winning the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. It was also nominated for the National Book Award for Poetry and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. From 2018 to 2019, he served as the Indiana State Poet Laureate. Since May 2022, he has been the editor of Poetry magazine, which is a very important role in the world of poetry.

About Adrian Matejka

Adrian Matejka was born in Nuremberg, Germany. His family was serving in the U.S. military at the time. He grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, in the United States. He went to Indiana University Bloomington and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. There, he earned advanced degrees in creative writing.

Adrian Matejka has received many special awards and grants. These awards, called fellowships, help writers focus on their work. Some of these came from important groups like the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

His Amazing Books

Adrian Matejka has written several poetry collections. His first books were The Devil's Garden and Mixology. His third collection, The Big Smoke, tells the story of the famous boxer Jack Johnson. This book was a finalist for the 2013 National Book Award and the 2014 Pulitzer Prize. It also won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. His most recent collection, Map to the Stars, was published in 2017.

Adrian Matejka's poems have appeared in many literary magazines. He also has poems in books that collect works from different writers, called anthologies. He teaches literature and creative writing at Indiana University. He was the official poet for the state of Indiana, known as the Indiana State Poet Laureate, in 2018 and 2019. In 2022, he became the editor of Poetry magazine.

Awards and Recognitions

Adrian Matejka has earned many awards for his writing. These honors show how important and impactful his poetry is.

• 2002 New York / New England Award
• 2008 National Poetry Series
• 2009 Illinois Arts Council
• 2011 Lannan Foundation Residency Fellowship
• 2013 National Book Award, Finalist
• 2014 Anisfield-Wolf Award
• 2014 Guggenheim Fellowship
• 2014 Lannan Literary Fellowship
• 2014 Pulitzer Prize, Finalist
• 2015 United States Artists Simon Fellowship
• 2018 Bellagio Foundation Residency Fellowship
• 2019 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship
• 2019 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship

His Published Works

Adrian Matejka's work includes several collections of his own poetry and contributions to other books.

Poetry Collections

• The Devil's Garden
• Mixology
• The Big Smoke
• Map to the Stars

Books with His Poems

• All Green
• From the Fishouse (2009)
• The Best American Poetry 2010 (2010)