Maurice English Explained

Maurice English (October 21, 1909  - November 18, 1983) was a poet, journalist, and author who is noted for having headed the presses of the University of Chicago, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania.^{[1] [2]}

Following his death, English’s family established the Maurice English Poetry Award, which honors an author in his or her sixth decade of life (fifty or beyond) for a distinguished book of poems published during the preceding calendar year. The award acknowledges that English's first volume of poetry, Midnight in the Century, was published in his 55th year. It carries an honorarium of $3,000 and a request for a public reading in Philadelphia.^[3] The MEPAward was first given in 1985 to Jane Cooper for Scaffolding: New and Selected Poems (1985).^[4]

Selected publications

• Book: Sullivan, Louis H. . Louis Sullivan . English, Maurice . The Testament of Stone: Themes of Idealism and Indignation from the Writings of Louis Sullivan . registration . 1963 . Northwestern University Press. Evanston, Illinois.
• Book: English, Maurice . Midnight in the Century . 1964 . Prairie School Press. Park Forest, Illinois.
• Book: English, Maurice . In Our Time . 1971 . Temple University Press. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Recipients of the Maurice English Poetry Award

• 1985: Jane Cooper, Scaffolding: New and Selected Poems
• 1986: Linda Pastan, A Fraction of Darkness^[5]
• 1987: Philip Booth, Relations^[6]
• 1988: David Ray, Sam's Book.^[7]
• 1989: Jean Valentine, Home Deep Blue: New and selected poems.
• 1990: W. S. Merwin, Selected Poems^[8]
• 1991: Richard Fein, Kafka's Ear^[9]
• 2001: Kay Ryan, Say Uncle^[10]
• 2002: Robert Bly, The Night Abraham Called to the Stars^[11]
• 2003: Samuel Hazo, Just Once: New and Selected Poems^[12]
• 2004: R. T. Smith, The Hollow Log Lounge
• 2005: Caroline Knox, He Paves the Road with Iron Bars^[13]

Notes and References

1. English's date of birth is taken from the Social Security Death Index.
2. News: Maurice English Dead at 74; Headed University Presses . The New York Times . November 20, 1983 . 2008-07-20 .
3. Web site: Maurice English Poetry Award . 2005 . .pdf . Philadelphia Art Alliance . https://web.archive.org/web/20110722172347/http://www.philartalliance.org/MEPA.pdf . 2011-07-22 . dead .
4. News: NY Times Staff . Libraries Continue Season of Poetry . The New York Times . January 21, 1990 . 2008-07-23 .
5. Book: Cullum, Linda E. . Contemporary American ethnic poets: lives, works, sources . 2004 . Greenwood Publishing Group . 978-0-313-32484-0 . 231 .
6. Book: McNair, Wesley . The Maine Poets: An Anthology . 235 . Down East Enterprise Inc . 2006 . 978-0-89272-708-7 .
7. Web site: Honors and Awards . davidraypoet.com . Ray . David . 2008 . 2011-04-04.
8. Book: Routledge Staff . International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004 . 2003 . Routledge . 1-85743-179-0. 383 . 2008-07-20.
9. Web site: Contributors to Vol. 10, No. 1 . 2008-07-21 . 2003 . The Ashville Review .
10. Web site: Raymond . Matt . Urschel, Donna . Librarian of Congress Appoints Kay Ryan Poet Laureate . The Library of Congress . 17 July 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080719170038/http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2008/08-127.html . 19 July 2008 . dead .
11. News: Hirsch . Edward . Edward Hirsch . Poet's Choice: Edward Hirsch on The Night Abraham Called To The Stars . The Washington Post . November 20, 2002 . 2008-07-23 .
12. Web site: Just Once: New and Previous Poems by Samuel Hazo . Autumn House Press . 2010-10-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725024524/http://www.autumnhouse.org/catalog/backlisted-titles/just-once-new-and-previous-poems-by-samuel-hazo/ . 2011-07-25 . dead .
13. Web site: Brenda Shaughnessy Receives the James Laughlin Award . Academy of American Poets . September 5, 2007 . 2010-09-10.