Charles Wright (poet) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Wright
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| Born | August 25, 1935 Pickwick Dam, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Education | Davidson College (BA) University of Iowa (MFA) |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Notable awards | Pulitzer Prize for Poetry National Book Award for Poetry |
| Spouse | Holly McIntire |
| United States Poet Laureate | |
| In office 2014–2015 |
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| Preceded by | Natasha Trethewey |
| Succeeded by | Juan Felipe Herrera |
Charles Wright (born August 25, 1935) is an American poet. A poet writes poems, which are often short pieces of writing that express feelings or ideas. He won the National Book Award in 1983 for his book Country Music: Selected Early Poems. He also won the famous Pulitzer Prize in 1998 for his book Black Zodiac. From 2014 to 2015, he held an important job as the 20th Poet Laureate of the United States. This means he was chosen as the nation's official poet.
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Early Life and Education
Charles Wright was born in Pickwick Dam, Tennessee. When he was in high school, he went to Christ School (North Carolina) in Asheville. He was a good student and even helped coach football. During this time, he read many books that made him want to write. He especially enjoyed all the books by William Faulkner.
After high school, he went to Davidson College and earned a degree in history in 1957. Later, he continued his studies at the University of Iowa, where he received a master's degree in 1963. He also attended the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, a special program for writers. He even studied in Italy as a Fulbright Scholar at the Sapienza University of Rome and the University of Padua.
Charles Wright's Teaching Career
Charles Wright shared his knowledge by teaching at universities for many years. From 1966 to 1983, he taught at the University of California, Irvine. He helped lead the university's well-known Master of Fine Arts program, which is for students who want to become professional writers.
In 1983, he moved to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He taught there until he retired in 2010. He was also a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, which means he was a leader in an important group that supports poets.
Becoming a Poet Laureate
Charles Wright started writing poetry while he was serving in the United States Army. He was stationed in Verona, Italy, from 1957 to 1961.
On June 12, 2014, the Library of Congress announced that he would become the Poet Laureate of the United States. This is a great honor, as the Poet Laureate helps promote poetry across the country. He began his term on September 25, 2014, and finished in May 2015.
Notable Works and Recognition
Besides his award-winning books Country Music (1982) and Black Zodiac (1997), Charles Wright has published many other poetry collections. Some of these include Chickamauga, Buffalo Yoga, Negative Blue, and Appalachia. His poems have also appeared in Blackbird, an online magazine for literature and art.
He also wrote two books of criticism, which are books where he shares his thoughts and ideas about other works of literature. These books are called Halflife and Quarter Notes.
Wright has received many awards for his writing. In 1979, he won the PEN Translation Prize for translating a book of poems by an Italian poet named Eugenio Montale. In 1993, he received the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize for all his achievements in poetry throughout his life. He also won the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize in 1996 for his collection Chickamauga. His book Black Zodiac won both the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize in 1998.
