November 24, 2010 The good news keeps coming for Tennessee writers. This week, Blas Falconer, associate professor of English at Austin Peay State University, received a National Endowment for the Arts 2011 Fellowship in Literature. One of forty-two poets from around the country selected, Falconer will receive $25,000 with the award.
“To be quite honest, I’m not sure if anything that I’ve accomplished to date can compare to this honor,” said Falconer. “For every fellowship won, there are plenty of rejections, and it can be rather discouraging at times. This kind of award is an incentive to just keep writing.”
Falconer’s application packet for the fellowship included selections from his critically praised book, A Question of Gravity and Light, as well as poems from a forthcoming collection, The Foundling Wheel, inspired by the adoption of his son last year. He will use the funds to free his time to finish The Foundling Wheel (Four Way Books, Fall 2012) and to begin a new collection.
Falconer holds a B.A. from George Mason University, an M.F.A. from the University of Maryland, and a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Houston. He has been at Austin Peay since 2003, where he serves as poetry editor for Zone 3 magazine and Zone 3 Press.
Chapter 16 ran Falconer’s poem, “Lighter,” earlier this year. To read an interview with Falconer, click here.
Tagged: Poetry
