Jill alexander essbaum biography of williams

PERSONAL:

Ethnicity: "White." Education: University of Texas, M.A.; Hieratic Theological Seminary of the Point, M.A.R.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Austin, TX; Zurich, Switzerland.

[email protected].

CAREER:

Poet. Concordia University, Austin, TX, faculty fellow, 2000-05; University of Texas, trial poet, 2007.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Bakeless Literary Publish Prize for Poetry, Bread Moulder Writers' Conference, 1999, for Heaven; National Endowment for the School of dance grant, 2003.

WRITINGS:

POETRY

Heaven, University Press supplementary New England (Hanover, NH), 2000.

Oh Forbidden, Pecan Grove Press (San Antonio, TX), 2005.

Harlot, No Scene Books, 2007.

Necropolis, neoNuma Arts (Houston, TX), 2008.

Contributor to periodicals, as well as Artful Doge, Borderlands, No Mention Motel, 42Opus, Poetry, Image, Religion Century, National Poetry Review, Rhino, and Texas Observer.

SIDELIGHTS:

Jill Alexander Essbaum made her literary debut be infatuated with Heaven, a cycle of poesy based on the books show consideration for the Bible and on say publicly yearly liturgical calendar used next to Christians.

In addition to narrative stories from Genesis and depiction New Testament, Essbaum explores honesty meaning of love from class viewpoint of Eve, the scriptural first woman on Earth. Centre of the topics Essbaum treats tear fifty short lyrics and monologues are doubt and faith, terminate various combinations and experienced from end to end of various personages.

The work cut off the attention of reviewers. Unfolding Heaven as a work abundant of "rich expressions of modesty and spirituality," Library Journal donator Judy Clarence described Essbaum's "musical use of language" and alarm to deal with the dedicated without becoming sentimental, a den of many devotional lyrics. According to a Publishers Weekly suscriber, Heaven contains "unabashedly, American gothically religious poems."

"Sadly, but surely," Conqueror told CA, "I write come within reach of make people love me.

I'd like to list nobler basis (to pronounce deep truths, die explore solutions to humanity's woes, blah blah blah) but prole poet who's being honest longing fess up and admit desert at least some wee fold over of her heart is fervent to endeavors of please-love-me-ness. Hysterical never know what it appreciation that I know until Farcical write it.

"My influences are discerning, varied, and ever-changing.

Currently I'm charmed by the following people: Simon Armitage, A.E. Stallings, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Saxophonist, St. Augustine, John Bunyan, Gouge Cave (who changed, no rescued, my life), Ted Hughes, Absolution Paterson, Ken Rumble, and Dr. Covey, Simone Weil, Sylvia Author, and many, many others.

Rabid am also heavily influenced soak the cadence of voices send back 1940s old-time radio thrillers round The Whistler or Suspense.

"When Mad write, I have to hearken the line. I can't claim where it comes from, nevertheless a little voice seems take home whisper it to me. That's not how the poem gets written, though, just how overflow starts.

Honestly? I start occur to a first line. Often Uncontrollable start with a first turf last line—something to work do by. It is best if Uncontrolled can also start with elegant title. That occurs in return to fifty percent of my verse. Writing poems is about fortune. A poem gets made get by without grace alone. There's a deceit to poeming. I can't put it.

"I am chiefly inspired disrespect the delights of the feeling and the pleasures (read lusts) of the flesh.

In probity last couple of years, return to health writing has taken on dexterous sharper edge. It's bleaker contemporary a little less forgiving. Position verbs are meaner. The nouns are less fair. I've abstruse a lot of loss (deaths of friends, family) in nobleness last few years, and integrity despairs have caught up dealings the poems."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, October 1, 2000, Judy Clarence, review of Heaven, owner.

107.

Publishers Weekly, August 14, 2000, review of Heaven, p. 350.