USC.edu

David St. John

University Professor and Professor of English and Comparative Literature
Email dstjohn@usc.edu Office THH 431 Office Phone (213) 821-0477

Biography

David St. John has been honored, over the course of his career, with many of the most significant prizes for poets, including both the Rome Fellowship and the Award in Literature from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, the O. B. Hardison Prize (a career award for teaching and poetic achievement) from The Folger Shakespeare Library, and the George Drury Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from Beyond Baroque. He is the author of twelve collections of poetry (including Study for the World’s Body, nominated for The National Book Award in Poetry), most recently the collections, The Last Troubadour: New & Selected Poems, The Auroras and The Window, as well as a volume of essays, interviews and reviews entitled Where the Angels Come Toward Us. He is also the co-editor of American Hybrid: A Norton Anthology of New Poetry. David St. John has written libretti for the opera, THE FACE, and for the choral symphony, THE SHORE. He lives in Marina del Rey, California.

Education

  • B.A. English (Creative Writing), California State University, Fresno
  • M.F.A. Creative Writing, University of Iowa

  • Summary Statement of Research Interests

    Professor St. John studies poetry writing and contemporary literature. His most recent literary works include The Prism, The Red Leaves of Night and In the Pines: Lost Poems.He is also a scholar of cinema and teaches Cinema and Poetry course. Professor St. John also teaches Writer & Composer, a course which allows collaboration between graduate level poets and composers.

  • Book

    • St. John, David (Ed.). (2006). The Pushcart Book of Poetry.

    Book Chapters

    • St. John, D. (2009). Charles Wright: An Interview by David St. John. Charles Wright In Conversation: Interviews, 1979-2006.

    Essay

    • St. John, D. (2011). On Charles Wright’s “Snow”. Northwest Review Vol 49 No 2.
    • St. John, D. (2011). Multiple Entries to ROME: City Secrets. Fang Duff Kahn Publishers.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Light. Los Angeles, California. Red Hen Press.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Growing Up With Impressionists: The Diary of Julie Manet. New York, NY. Rizzoli.
    • St. John, D. (2009). “Call It Music: Breath’s Urgent Song”. FIELD.
    • St. John, D. (2007). Dark Horses: Poets on Overlooked Poems.
    • St. John, D. (2005). Lasting: Poems on Aging.
    • St. John, D. (2005). “Introduction” – Cloud View Poets.
    • St. John, D. (2005). The Imaginary Poets.
    • St. John, D. (2005). Poets on Place.
    • St. John, D. (2005). High Lonesome: On the Poetry of Charles Wright.
    • St. John, D. (2004). “Larry Levis: An Afterward” – A Condition of the Spirit: The Life and Work of Larry Levis.

    Poem

    • St. John, D. (2011). “Iris,” “Guitar” and “I Know” translated into Chinese for Contemporary American Poems. People’s Literature Publishing House.
    • St. John, D. (2011). My Vertigo. Projector.
    • St. John, D. (2011). “Iris” in The Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry. Penguin.
    • St. John, D. (2011). The Olympus Theater. Poetry International 17.
    • St. John, D. (2011). From A Bridge. POETRY magazine.
    • St. John, D. (2011). In The High Country. POETRY Magazine.
    • St. John, D. (2011). The Fixer. Spillway 17.
    • St. John, D. (2011). Late Offerings. Spillway 17.
    • St. John, D. (2011). Section of Crossing State Lines: An American Renga. Farrar Straus Giroux.
    • St. John, D. (2011). “Ghost Aurora” in The Best American Poetry. Scribner’s.
    • St. John, D. (2011). The Wisdom. Spillway 16.
    • St. John, D. (2011). Pinon. Great River Review.
    • St. John, D. (2011). Paisley (Haight Ashbury, 1967). Great River Review.
    • St. John, D. (2011). The Future. Great River Review.
    • St. John, D. (2011). “Cedar Bluffs” in Aspects of Robinson: Homage to Weldon Kees. The Backwaters Press.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Ass Poem by Reza Baraheni, translated by David St. John. Iran: Special Issue of The Atlanta Review.
    • St. John, D. (2010). The Boy. Spillway Magazine # 15.
    • St. John, D. (2010). “Peach Fires” in the anthology The Place That Inhabits Us. Sixteen Rivers Press.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Translations into Spanish of: Ghost Aurora; Pere Lachaise; The Book; Dark Aurora; Aurore Parisienne. Mexico City. Luvina.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Symphonie Tragique. Iowa City, Iowa. University of Iowa Press.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Pythagorean Perfume. San Diego, California. Poetry International.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Velvet Aurora. Poetry International.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Los Angeles, 1954. Many Voices Press.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Peach Fires. San Francisco, California. Sixteen Rivers Press.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Translations into Russian of: I know; My Tea With Madame Descartes; Francesco and Clare.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Ghost Aurora. Denver, Colorade. Denver Quarterly.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Pere Lachaise. Denver Quarterly.
    • St. John, D. (2010). The Book.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Dark Aurora.
    • St. John, D. (2010). Aurore Parisienne.
    • St. John, D. (2009). San Joaquin Prizms. The Cortland Review.
    • St. John, D. (2009). The Aurora Called Destiny. The Kenyon Review.
    • St. John, D. (2009). The Swan. The Kenyon Review.
    • St. John, D. (2009). The Aurora of the Midnight Ink. The Kenyon Review.
    • St. John, D. (2009). An Essay on Liberation. American Poets Against the War (anthology).
    • St. John, D. (2009). An Essay on Liberation. American Poets Against The War.
    • St. John, D. (2009). Renaissance Willows. SPECS.
    • St. John, D. (2009). Dawn Aurora. FIELD.
    • St. John, D. (2009). Lago di Como. FIELD.
    • St. John, D. (2009). Autumn Aurora. FIELD.
    • St. John, D. (2009). Florentine Aurora. FIELD.
    • St. John, D. (2009). “Symphonie Tragique” poem published in the anthology, Visting Wallace: Poems Inspired by the Life and Work of Wallace Stevens. University of Iowa Press.
    • St. John, D. (2008). The Aurora of the New Mind in The Best American Poetry 2008. Scribners/ New York. The Best American Poetry 2008/Anthology.
    • St. John, D. (2008). Three Jade Dice. New York City. The Paris Review.
    • St. John, D. (2008). The Aurora of the Blind Dog. Portland, Oregon. Burnside Review.
    • St. John, D. (2008). Epiphanies. Portland, Ofregon. Burnside Review.
    • St. John, D. (2008). “My Tea With Madame Descartes” (poem) Translated Into Russian. Moscow, Soviet Union. Contemporary American Poetry/Anthology.
    • St. John, D. (2008). “Weather”; “Simple Blues”; “Passing”; and “Focus” : Four Prose Poems. Santa Cruz, California. Bear Flag Republic: Prose Poems and Poetics from Californina.
    • St. John, D. (2007). “Manhattan Diptych,” “The Reef,” and “Lucifer in Starlight” in Third Rail: The Poetry of Rock and Roll. MTV Books.
    • St. John, D. (2007). The Aurora of the New Mind. The Southern Review.
    • St. John, D. (2007). The Aurora of the Lost Dulcimer. Baton Rouge, LA. The Southern Review.
    • St. John, D. (2007). Schopenhauer’s Dog Collar. Baton Rouge, LA.. The Southern Review.
    • St. John, D. (2007). The Mind’s Eye: A Concise Guide to Poetry Writing (K. Clark, Ed.). Pearson Longman.
    • St. John, D. (2006). Lineas Conectados: Nueva Poesia de los Estados Unidos.
    • St. John, D. (2006). American Alphabets: 25 Contemporary Poets.
    • St. John, D. (2005). The Janitor at Radio City Music Hall.
    • St. John, D. (2005). The Imaginary Poets.
    • St. John, D. (2005). Poetry Calendar 2006.
    • St. John, D. (2005). Range of Voices.
    • St. John, D. (2005). Cloud View Poets.
    • St. John, D. (2005). Manthology: Poems on the Male Experience.
    • St. John, D. (2005). Words Brushed by Music.
    • St. John, D. (2005). The Face of Poetry.
    • St. John, D. (2005). Literature: The Human Experience.
    • St. John, D. (2005). Francis and Clare in Poetry.
    • St. John, D. (2004). Old Glory: American War Poems from the Revolutionary War to the War in Iraq.
    • St. John, D. (2004). The Best of Poetry Daily.
    • St. John, D. (2003). So Luminous the Wildflowers: an Anthology of California Poets.
    • St. John, D. (2003). The Misread City: New Literary Los Angeles.
    • St. John, D. (2003). Against Constraints: Poets for Peace Anthology.

    Poetry Collection

    • St. John, D. (2017). The Last Troubadour: New and Selected Poems. New York, New York. Ecco/HarperCollins Publishers.
    • St. John, D. (2014). The Window. Arctos Press.
    • St. John, D. (2012). The Auroras. HarperCollins Publishers.
    • St. John, David (Ed.). (2009). American Hybrid: A Norton Anthology of New Poetry. New York, NY. Norton.
    • St. John, D. (2004). The Face: A Novella in Verse. HarperCollins.
    • St. John, D. M. (2002). Prism. Arctos Press.
    • St. John, D. M. (1999). The Red Leaves of Night. HarperCollins.
    • St. John, D. M. (1999). In the Pines: Lost Poems 1972-1997. White Pine Press.

    Other

    • St. John, D. M. (1995). Where the Angels Come Toward Us: Selected Essays, Reviews, and Interviews.
    • Music/Poetry Collaboration, “The Village,” a setting of two poems by David St. John by composer Donald Crockett; premiered in Germany by the Hilliard Ensemble, February 23, 2005.,
    • Music/Poetry Collaboration, The Face, a chamber opera with libretto by David St. John (based on the book of poems: The Face: A Novella in Verse) and composed by Donald Crockett., 2007-2008
    • Music/Poetry Collaboration, THE SHORE, libretto by David St. John and music by Frank Ticheli, a chorale symphony commissioned by The Pacific Chorale in honor of the 40th Anniversary of their conductor, John Alexander., 2013-2014
    • USC University Professor, University Professor of English and Comparative Literature, 2016/01/13
    • Phi Kappa Phi Faculty Recognition, 2014
    • The George Drury Smith Award, LIfetime Achievement Awarded by The Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Foundation, 2010-2011
    • USC Endowed Chair, The Elliston Chair in Poetry, University of Cincinnati, Spring 2007
    • USC Endowed Professorship, Hurst Professor in Creative Writing: Washington University, Spring 2005
    • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, O. B. Hardison Prize in Poetry, The Folger Shakespeare Library, 2001
    • Recipient of National or International Prize in Discipline, Academy Award in Poetry, American Academy of Arts and Letters, 2000
    • Guggenheim Fellowship Recipient, Fellowship in Poetry, 1994
    • NEA Fellowship, 1994
    • American Academy at Rome, The Prix de Rome Prize Fellowship, 1984-1985
    • NEA Fellowship, 1984
    • NEA Fellowship, 1976
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