Rachel Eliza Griffiths facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rachel Eliza Griffiths
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Griffiths at the 2023 Texas Book Festival
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| Born | 6 December 1978 Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Education | University of Delaware Sarah Lawrence College (MFA) |
| Occupation | Poet, novelist, photographer and visual artist |
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Rachel Eliza Griffiths (born December 6, 1978) is an American artist. She is known for her work as a poet, novelist, photographer, and visual artist. She has published five collections of poems. Her book Seeing the Body (2020) combines poetry with photography. It explores themes like memory, Black womanhood, and the American landscape. This book was nominated for a NAACP Image Award in Poetry in 2021.
Contents
About Rachel Eliza Griffiths
Early Life and Education
Rachel Eliza Griffiths was born in Washington, D.C.. She was the oldest of four children. Her father was an environmental lawyer. Her mother was a community organizer and a former police officer.
Griffiths went to St. Mark's High School. She then studied at the University of Delaware. There, she earned her first college degrees. Later, she received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing. She earned this degree from Sarah Lawrence College.
Creative Work and Recognition
Rachel Eliza Griffiths has received many special awards and support for her art. These include fellowships from places like the Cave Canem Foundation and Yaddo. These fellowships help artists focus on their work.
Her writings have appeared in many well-known magazines and journals. Some of these include The New Yorker, The Paris Review, and The New York Times. In 2011, she was featured in the first poetry issue of Oprah Winfrey's O Magazine.
Griffiths also created a video series called "Poets on Poetry (P.O.P)". In this series, modern poets talk about how poetry connects to human experiences and culture. She enjoys working in different art forms. She once said that she likes how each type of art allows her to explore ideas in new ways.
Published Books
Rachel Eliza Griffiths has written five collections of poems:
- Miracle Arrhythmia (2010)
- The Requited Distance (2011)
- Mule & Pear (2011)
- Lighting the Shadow (2015)
- Seeing the Body (2020)
Her book Mule & Pear won the first Poetry Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association in 2012. Lighting the Shadow was a finalist for the Balcones Poetry Prize in 2015. It was also a finalist for the Phillis Wheatley Book Award in 2016.
Seeing the Body
Her 2020 book, Seeing the Body, is special because it uses both photography and poetry. It tells the story of her mother's death in 2014. Critics have said the book powerfully combines visuals and emotions. Los Angeles Review of Books called it a "radiant and soulful collection."
Seeing the Body was chosen as one of NPR's Best Books of 2020. It was also nominated for a NAACP Image Award in 2021. The book won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Poetry in 2021. It also received the Paterson Poetry Prize from the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College.
Other Contributions
Griffiths's work has been included in several important poetry collections. These include Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry (2009) and New Daughters of Africa (2019). Her work also appeared in The Best American Poetry 2021.
In 2020, she was the poet-in-residence at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. In February 2021, she was a guest editor for the Academy of American Poets's "Poem-a-Day" project.
Her first novel, Promise, was published in 2023. It was released by Random House in the US and John Murray in the UK. Kirkus Reviews described it as a "stunning and evocative portrait of love, pride, and survival."
Personal Life
Rachel Eliza Griffiths lives in New York City. In 2021, she married the well-known novelist Salman Rushdie.
