Susan Howe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susan Howe
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Susan Howe circa 2004
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| Born | June 10, 1937 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Poet, scholar |
| Alma mater | Boston Museum School of Fine Arts (1961) |
| Genre | Poetry, essay |
| Literary movement | Postmodern |
| Notable awards | Bollingen Prize in American Poetry (2011); Guggenheim Fellowship; Roy Harvey Pearce Prize for Lifetime Achievement; Robert Frost Medal, Poetry Society of America (2017) |
| Spouse | Harvey Quaytman, David von Schlegell, Peter Hewitt Hare |
Susan Howe, born on June 10, 1937, is an American poet, scholar, and essayist. She is known for her unique writing style, which often mixes different types of writing like fiction, essays, and poetry. Her work is sometimes called Postmodern because it explores new ways of writing and storytelling.
Howe's books often include many references to history and myths. She presents these ideas in unusual ways, making her poems sound musical even without following traditional rhyme or rhythm patterns. She has received important awards for her writing, including the Robert Frost Medal in 2017 and the Bollingen Prize in American Poetry in 2011. She is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Contents
About Susan Howe's Life
Early Life and Family
Susan Howe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 10, 1937. She grew up nearby in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her mother, Mary Manning, was a playwright from Ireland who also acted in plays. Susan's father, Mark De Wolfe Howe, was a professor at Harvard Law School. He wrote a biography about a famous judge, Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Susan has two younger sisters. One of them, Fanny Howe, is also a poet. Susan Howe studied art at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts and graduated in 1961.
Marriages and Children
In 1961, Susan Howe married Harvey Quaytman, who was a painter she met at art school. They later separated. Susan then lived with sculptor David von Schlegell for several years before they married. They were together until he passed away in 1992. Later, Susan married Peter Hewitt Hare, a philosopher and professor. He passed away in 2008.
Susan Howe has two grown children: a painter named R.H. Quaytman and a writer named Mark von Schlegell. Today, she lives in Guilford, Connecticut.
Susan Howe's Career and Activities
Starting Her Career
After finishing high school, Susan Howe spent a year in Dublin, Ireland. She worked as an apprentice at the Gate Theatre, learning about theater. After graduating from art school in 1961, she moved to New York City and focused on painting.
In 1975, she started creating poetry programs for a radio station called WBAI. This was part of the Pacifica Radio network.
Teaching and Professorships
In 1988, Susan Howe began teaching English as a visiting professor at the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. She became a full professor there in 1991, teaching in the Poetics Program. She was later given special titles like Capen Chair and Distinguished Professor. She retired from teaching in 2006.
Even after retiring, Howe continued to be involved in academics. She held positions at other universities, including Princeton University, University of Chicago, University of Utah, and Wesleyan University.
Awards and Recognition
Susan Howe has received many honors for her contributions to poetry and literature.
- She won the American Book Awards from the Before Columbus Foundation in both 1981 and 1986.
- In 1999, she was chosen as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- She became a Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets in 2000.
- In 2009, she received a Berlin Prize fellowship.
- In 2011, she was awarded the prestigious Yale Bollingen Prize in American Poetry.
Exhibitions
- Tom Tit Tot, Yale Union, 2013.
