C. K. Williams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids C. K. Williams
C. K. Williams in 1986
Born	Charles Kenneth Williams (1936-11-04)November 4, 1936 Newark, New Jersey
Died	September 20, 2015(2015-09-20) (aged 78) Hopewell, New Jersey
Occupation	Writer, professor
Language	English
Nationality	American, French
Education	Columbia High School; Bucknell University
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania
Genre	Poetry
Notable awards	Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; National Book Award; National Book Critics Circle Award
Spouse	Catherine Mauger

Charles Kenneth "C. K." Williams (born November 4, 1936 – died September 20, 2015) was an important American poet. He was also a critic and a translator. Williams won many major awards for his poetry.

His book Flesh and Blood won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1987. Later, Repair (published in 1999) won the famous 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. It was also a finalist for the National Book Award and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. In 2003, his book The Singing won the National Book Award. Williams also received the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize in 2005. A film from 2012, called The Color of Time, shares parts of Williams' life using his poems.

About C. K. Williams' Life

C. K. Williams was born in Newark, New Jersey, on November 4, 1936. His parents were Paul B. Williams and Dossie Kasdin. His grandparents came to the USA from cities that are now in Ukraine.

Early Education and Writing Journey

He went to Columbia High School in Maplewood. After high school, he studied at Bucknell University for a year. Then, he went to the University of Pennsylvania and graduated from there.

Williams started writing poetry during his second year at the University of Pennsylvania. He even left for Paris for a while during college. When he returned to Penn, he changed his main subject from philosophy to English. He learned about poetry from his teacher, Morse Peckham. His teacher told him that to be a poet, you should write poetry every day. Williams followed this advice throughout his life.

C.K. Williams passport ID photo taken on Greek island of Patmos in 1973. This photo was taken in 1973 on a Greek island called Patmos.

After graduating, he stayed in Philadelphia. He became friends with many creative people. These friends included artists, carpenters, poets, photographers, musicians, and filmmakers. He learned a lot from them. He published his first book of poems, Lies, in 1969.

Family Life and Teaching

In 1963, he married Sarah Dean Jones. They had a daughter named Jessie Williams Burns.

In 1973, he met Catherine Mauger. They got married in 1975. They had a son named Jed Williams. Jed is a painter and owns an art gallery in Philadelphia. His paintings are often used on the covers of his father's books. C. K. Williams and Catherine lived part of the year in the USA and part of the year in Paris, France. Later, they lived in Normandy, France.

Williams began teaching in the mid-1970s. He taught creative writing at many different universities. These included Boston University, Brooklyn College, Columbia University, and Princeton University. He also traveled to give poetry readings and workshops. He even worked on translating old Greek plays.

Finding His Voice as a Poet

After his second book, I Am the Bitter Name, Williams felt like stopping writing. But then he was asked to read some poems at a college. He decided to read some poems he hadn't finished yet. He realized these poems were exactly what he needed to write.

These new poems had long, flowing lines. They sounded more like a conversation than his earlier poems. They also helped him explore his thoughts and feelings more deeply. This new style gave him a way to write about things that interested him in a complete way. He started writing poetry again with more passion and confidence. These poems were later collected in his books With Ignorance and Tar.

C. K. Williams became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2003. He had many friends who were artists and writers in the U.S. and Europe. He gave his last poetry reading and interview in June 2015. He passed away at his home in Hopewell, New Jersey on September 20, 2015. Just before he died, he finished his last book of poems, Falling Ill.

His Published Works

C. K. Williams published his first book, Lies, in 1969. He went on to publish many collections of poetry. His Collected Poems came out in 2006. This book showed his work over five decades.

His book Repair won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000. In 2003, The Singing won the National Book Award. He also wrote essays, plays, and even children's books. He worked on translating other writers' works too. His very last book of poetry, Falling Ill, was published in 2017, after he had passed away.

Awards and Special Honors

C. K. Williams received many awards and honors for his writing:

• John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, 1974.
• Bernard Conner Prize, The Paris Review, 1983.
• Nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award, for Tar, 1983.
• National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, 1985 and 1993.
• National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry, for Flesh and Blood, 1987.
• Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, for Flesh and Blood, 1987.
• Jerome Shestack Prize, The American Poetry Review, 1988, 1996.
• Morton Dauwen Zabel Prize of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, 1989.
• Woodrow Wilson-Lila Wallace Fellow, 1992–93.
• Nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award, for A Dream of Mind, 1992.
• Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writer's Award, 1993.
• Harriet Monroe Poetry Award, Poetry, 1993.
• Nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award, for The Vigil, 1997.
• Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, for The Vigil, 1997.
• PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry, 1998.
• Berlin Prize, American Academy in Berlin, 1998.
• Finalist for the National Book Award, for Repair, 1999.
• American Academy of Arts and Letters Literature Award, 1999.
• Weathertop Poetry Award for Repair, 2000.
• Maurice English Award for Repair, 2000.
• Los Angeles Times Book Award for Repair, 2000.
• Pulitzer Prize, for Repair, 2000.
• Pen/Albrand Memoir Award, for Misgivings, 2001.
• National Book Award, for The Singing, 2003.
• Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, 2005.
• Milton Kessler Poetry Prize, Binghamton University, 2012.
• Jewish Book Prize, 2012.

Special Events

• A Piano and Poetry Recital: Richard Goode and C.K. Williams performed together. This concert was at Princeton University on March 9, 2014. It was recorded.
• A poem by C.K. Williams called "Garden" was dedicated in October 2016. It is part of the Poetry Trail of the D & R Greenway Land Trust in Princeton, N.J.
• A special reading and gathering celebrated the life and work of C.K. Williams. This event took place at Kelly Writers House at Penn University in Philadelphia on April 11, 2016. A recording of this event is available online.
• A tribute to C.K. Williams was held at The New School in New York City on February 22, 2017. This event was also recorded.

Archives

• You can find C. K. Williams' papers at the Yale Collection of American Literature. They are kept at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.