Susan Hahn Explained

Susan Hahn
Birth Date:	11 November 1951
Birth Place:	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality:	American
Education:	Highland Park High School Northwestern University (BA, MA)

Susan Hahn (born November 11, 1951) is an American poet, playwright and novelist. She is also a Guggenheim fellow.^[1]

Biography

She was born Susan Firestone in Chicago, Illinois on November 11, 1951, and attended Highland Park High School. She attended Northwestern University where she received a B.A. and an M.A. in psychology^[2] She began working at the Woodlawn Mental Health Center after graduation and became licensed as a group therapist. After incorporating writing and art into her therapy, she began to write her own work and submitted some of her poems to Poetry magazine, where they were accepted.

In 1997 she started editing TriQuarterly literary magazine.^{[3] [4]} She remained with TriQuarterly until 2010, when the magazine went to an online-only format.^[5] She is also a co-editor of works published by Northwestern University.

Hahn was the Ernest Hemingway Foundation's first writer-in-residence in 2013.^[6]

Work

Hahn's writing has been described by Donna Seaman as displaying "bewitching" language and "sly" humor.^[7] As the featured Illinois poet, her work was described by the State of Illinois as "voyages into the uncharted seas of self and other."^[8]

Her novel, The Six Granddaughters of Cecil Slaughter, was favorably reviewed by Booklist and Library Journal.^[9]

In 1994, Hahn received a Society of Midland Authors Award for Poetry.

The Chicago Tribune listed Holiday and Mother in Summer in the ranks of the Best Books of 2002.^[10]

Novel

• Losing Beck: A Triptych (2018)
• The Six Granddaughters of Cecil Slaughter (2012)

Poetry

• Corner Office (2024)
• The Note She Left (2008)
• The Scarlet Ibis (2007)
• Self/Pity (2005)
• Mother in Summer (2002)
• Holiday (2001)
• Confession (1997)
• Melancholia, Etcetera (1995)
• Incontinence (1993)
• Harriet Rubin's Mother's Wooden Hand (1991)

Plays

• The Scarlet Ibis (2007, reprised 2008)
• Golf (2005)

Awards and honors

Susan Hahn's honors and awards include:

• Hemingway Foundation, inaugural Writer-in-Residence (2013-2014)
• Pushcart Prizes, in fiction and poetry
• First Class of Distinguished Alumni, Highland Park High School (2005)
• Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in Poetry (2003-2004)
• Poetry Magazine's George Kent Prize (2000)
• The Society of Midland Authors Award for Poetry (1994)
• Illinois Arts Council Literary Awards and Fellowships

External links

• Susan Hahn's Website
• Susan Hahn on IndieBound.org
• Susan Hahn at the Academy of American Poets

Notes and References

1. The Six Granddaughters of Cecil Slaughter. Seaman. Donna. 2012. Booklist. 22 July 2015. 108. 22. 26. subscription .
2. Book: The Cambridge History of American Literature. Cambridge University Press. 1996. 0521497337. New York. 231–232. 8. Bercovitch. Sacvan.
3. Web site: Emily Dickinson's Racy Side. 1 March 2010. 22 July 2015. The Daily Beast. Seaman. Donna.
4. Mother in Summer. Zaleski. Jeff. 29 April 2002. Publishers Weekly. 22 July 2015. subscription . 249. 17. 64. Scharf. Michael.
5. News: What Is the Future for Literary Journals in an Online World? Huffington Post Interviews Stephanie G'Schwind, Editor of Colorado Review. Shivani. Anis. 22 June 2010. The Huffington Post. 22 July 2015.
6. News: Winnetka Poet to Be Found In Hemingway's Attic. Venteicher. Wes. 22 July 2013. Chicago Tribune. 22 July 2015.
7. The Note She Left. Seaman. Donna. 15 March 2008. Booklist. 22 July 2015. subscription . 104. 14. 17.
8. Web site: Featured Poet: Susan Hahn. 22 July 2015. Illinois Poet Laureate. State of Illinois.
9. The Six Granddaughters of Cecil Slaughter. Pesek. Annalisa. 2012. Library Journal. 22 July 2015. subscription . 84. 137. 13.
10. Book: Baker & Taylor Author Biographies. Susan Hahn. Literary Reference Center. 4 January 2000. 22 July 2015.