Culture in Queens
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Poets
Laureate in
Queens |
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Queens Poet
Laureate 2007
This is an honorary 3-year term. The current term
run from 2007-2010.
Biographies of Queens Poets Laureate
STEPHEN STEPANCHEV (1997-2001):
In 1997, Dr. Stephen Stepanchev was named the first Poet Laureate of the borough of Queens. His
poems, like his life, reflect the rich immigrant experience
so familiar to our neighborhoods. He was born in Mokrin,
Yugoslavia, in 1915. On a scholarship, he went to the University
of Chicago. During World War II, he served in the U.S.
Army, and he received a Bronze Star Medal. From 1949 to 1985,
he taught Creative Writing at Queens College. He has
published a major critique of American poetry, eleven collections
of poems, and appears regularly in such venues as The New
Yorker and Poetry magazines. Dr. Stephen Stepanchev
has inspired several generations of writers.
HAL SIROWITZ (2001-2004):
Hal Sirowitz held the title of
Queens Poet Laureate from 2001 - 2004. He is the author
of six books of poetry, although probably best known for
the volumes Mother Said, My Therapist Said, and Father Said.
He has performed on MTV, at Lalapalooza, and can be heard
on several recordings. He is currently the best- selling
translated poet in Norway, where his work has also inspired
a much-loved animated series. Hal is a cult figure of
sorts in literary circles throughout the world, as a poet,
a performance artist, a comedian, a teacher, and an all-around
good guy. Born in New York City in 1949, he received
a B.A. in English Literature from New York University, a
M.A. in Special Education from Hofstra, and has taught Special
Education in the New York public school system for 25 years.
His father was a salesman in New York's garment district,
and his mother, Estelle -- well, she worried. He is married
to writer Mary Minter Krotzer.
ISHLE YI PARK (2004-2007):
Ishle Yi Park is the third Poet
Laureate of Queens. Her first book, entitled The Temperature
of This Water, is the winner of the 2005 PEN America Beyond
Margins Award and the 2005 Members' Choice Award of the Asian
American Literary Awards. Ishle has performed at over three
hundred venues here and overseas. She was a touring
cast member of the Tony Award-winning Russell Simmons Presents:
Def Poetry Jam, performing in 51 cities in the United States
and at the Auckland Festival in New Zealand. The New
York Times wrote, "Ms. Park has an angelic face and
the soul of a rock star."
JULIO MARZAN (2007-2010):
Born in Puerto Rico in 1946, JULIO MARZAN is the Fourth Poet
Laureate of Queens. He has published two books of
poetry and his poems have appeared in numerous journals.
His work also appears in several anthologies and college
texts, as well as translations. Mr. Marzan is also the author
of two non-fiction books. A professor of English at Nassau
Community College, in spring 2006 he was Visiting Professor
of Romance Languages at Harvard University. A resident
of Queens for most of his adult life, he graduated from
Cardinal Hayes High School and later studied at Fordham
University (B.A.), Columbia University (M.F.A.), and New
York University (Ph.D.).
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