Marilyn Nelson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marilyn Nelson
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| Born | April 26, 1946 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Pen name | Marilyn Nelson Waniek |
| Occupation | Professor, author, translator |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California-Davis; University of Pennsylvania; University of Minnesota |
| Genre | Poetry |
Marilyn Nelson (born April 26, 1946) is an American writer. She is known for her poetry, translations, and children's books. Marilyn Nelson was a professor at the University of Connecticut. She also served as the official Poet Laureate of Connecticut. She has won many important awards for her writing, including the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize and the Frost Medal. For a time, from 1978 to 1994, she wrote under the name Marilyn Nelson Waniek. She has written or translated more than twenty books. Many of her works explore historical topics. In 2014, she wrote a memoir called How I Discovered Poetry. This book was named one of NPR's Best Books of 2014.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Marilyn Nelson was born on April 26, 1946, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father, Melvin M. Nelson, was a Tuskegee Airman. He was a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Her mother, Johnnie Mitchell Nelson, was a teacher and a talented pianist.
Marilyn grew up moving often because her father was in the military. She lived on many different military bases across the United States. She started writing stories and poems when she was in elementary school. She truly fell in love with poetry in middle school. This was when she attended a segregated school in Texas. There, she learned about the works of many amazing African-American poets.
Marilyn Nelson studied at several universities. She earned her first degree from the University of California-Davis. Later, she received a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970. She then earned her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1979.
Writing Career and Achievements
In 1978, Marilyn Nelson became an English professor at the University of Connecticut. That same year, she published her first book of poems, called For the Body. From 2001 to 2006, she was chosen as the poet laureate for the State of Connecticut. This means she was the official poet for the state. During this time, she also started a writing center called the Soul Mountain Retreat. She retired from teaching in 2002 but continued to write actively.
Marilyn Nelson's poetry often explores themes of family. She also writes about African-American history. Her work often looks for the sacred or special in everyday life. She is known for using the style of African-American oral storytelling in her poems.
Some of her famous poetry collections include The Homeplace. This book won the 1992 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. It was also a finalist for the 1991 National Book Award. Another important collection is The Fields Of Praise: New And Selected Poems. This book won the Poets' Prize in 1999. It was also a finalist for the 1997 National Book Award.
Nelson has received many honors for her work. These include two writing fellowships from the NEA. She also received the Connecticut Arts Award in 1990. In 2001, she was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2012, the Poetry Society of America gave her the Frost Medal. In 2013, she was elected a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.
Published Works
Marilyn Nelson has written many books for both adults and children.
Poetry Books
- For the Body (1978)
- Mama's Promises (1985)
- The Homeplace (1990)
- Magnificat (1994)
- The Fields of Praise: New and Selected Poems (1997)
- Carver: A Life in Poems (2001)
- Fortune’s Bones: The Manumission Requiem (2004)
- The Cachoeira Tales, and Other Poems (2005)
- A Wreath for Emmett Till (2005)
- The Freedom Business: Including A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa (2008)
- Sweethearts of Rhythm: The Story Of The Greatest All-Girl Swing Band In The World (2009)
- Faster Than Light: New and Selected Poems, 1996-2011 (2012)
- My Seneca Village (2015)
- The Meeting House (2016)
- American Ace (2016)
- How I Discovered Poetry (2016)
Chapbooks
Chapbooks are small collections of poems.
- Partial Truth (1992)
- She-Devil Circus (2001)
- Triolets for Triolet (2001)
- The Freedom Business: Connecticut Landscapes Through the Eyes of Venture Smith (2006)
Collaborative Books
These are books she wrote with other authors.
- The Cat Walked Through the Casserole (1984, with Pamela Espeland)
- Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color (2007, with Elizabeth Alexander)
- Pemba's Song: A Ghost Story (2008, with Tonya Hegamin)
- Mrs. Nelson's Class (2012, as editor)
Translations
Marilyn Nelson has translated books from other languages into English.
- Hundreds of Hens and Other Poems for Children by Halfdan Rasmussen (from Danish, 1982)
- Hecuba by Euripides (from earlier English translations, 1998)
- The Thirteenth Month by Inge Pedersen (from Danish, 2005)
- The Ladder by Halfdan Rasmussen (from Danish, 2006)
- A Little Bitty Man and Other Poems for the Very Young by Halfdan Rasmussen (from Danish, 2011)
Books for Young Children
- The Cat Walked Through the Casserole (1984)
- Beautiful Ballerina (2009)
- Snook Alone (2010)
- Ostrich and Lark (2012)
Awards and Recognition
Marilyn Nelson has received many awards for her contributions to literature:
- Kent fellowship (1976)
- National Endowment for the Arts fellowships (1981, 1990)
- Connecticut Arts Award (1990)
- National Book Award finalist for poetry (1991, 1997)
- Anisfield-Wolf Book Award (1992)
- Fulbright teaching fellowship (1995)
- The Poets Award (1998)
- Poets' Prize (1999) for The Fields of Praise: New and Selected Poems
- Contemplative Practices fellowship (2000)
- Poet Laureate for the State of Connecticut (2001-2006)
- J.S. Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship (2001) for Carver: A Life in Poems
- Boston Globe/Horn Book Award (2001) for Carver: A Life in Poems
- National Book Award finalist in young-people's literature category (2001) for Carver: A Life in Poems
- Coretta Scott King Honor Book designation (2002) for Carver: A Life in Poems
- Flora Stieglitz Straus Award for Nonfiction (2002) for Carver: A Life in Poems
- Newbery Honor designation (2002) for Carver: A Life in Poems
- Coretta Scott King Book Award (2005) for Fortune's Bones: The Manumission Requiem
- Two Pushcart prizes
- Michael L. Printz Award honor book designation (2006) for A Wreath for Emmett Till
- Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award honor book designation (2006) for A Wreath for Emmett Till
- Coretta Scott King Honor Award (2006) for A Wreath for Emmett Till
- Lifetime Achievement honor, Connecticut Book Awards (2006)
- NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature (2017)
- Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize (2019). This award recognized her for highlighting important topics in poetry. Her work often explores race, feminism, and the lasting effects of slavery in American life.
See also
In Spanish: Marilyn Nelson para niños
