Terese Svoboda

Poet, Fiction Writer, Creative Nonfiction Writer

New York US

Email:

svoboda@el.net

Website:

teresesvoboda.com

Twitter/X:

@teresesvoboda

Author's Bio

A Guggenheim fellow and the author of twenty-one books of poetry and prose including a memoir, a biography, and a book of translation from the Nuer, Terese Svoboda has won the Bobst Prize in fiction, the Iowa Poetry Prize, an NEH translation grant, the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize, a Jerome Foundation video prize, the Juniper Prize and an O. Henry Award for the short story, and a Pushcart Prize for the essay. Three-time winner of the New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship, she has been awarded Headlands, James Merrill, Yaddo, MacDowell, and Bellagio residencies. Her opera WET premiered at L.A.'s Disney Hall. As of 2023, she has two novels forthcoming, Roxy and Coco and The Long Swim.

Education:

Columbia University School of the Arts MFA

Writers Retreats:

Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference and Bookfair

Bogliasco Foundation

Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference

Headlands Center for the Arts

James River Writers Conference

MacDowell

Sewanee Writers’ Conference

Southampton Writers Conference

Virginia Center for the Creative Arts

Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway

Literary agent:

Folio

Publications & Prizes

Creative Nonfiction

Books:

Anything That Burns You: A Portrait of Lola Ridge, Radical Poet (Schaffner Press, 2016)

Black Glasses Like Clark Kent (Graywolf Press, 2008)

Fiction

Books:

Dog on Fire (University of Nebraska Press, 2023)

Roxy and Coco (West Virginia University Press, 2023)

Great American Desert (Ohio State University Press, 2019)

Bohemian Girl (Bison Books, 2011)

Pirate Talk or Mermalade (Dzanc Books, 2010)

Tin God (Bison Books, 2006)

Trailer Girl and Other Stories (Counterpoint Press, 2001)

A Drink Called Paradise (Counterpoint Press, 1999)

Cannibal (New York University Press, 1985)

Poetry

Anthology:

Cleaned The Crocodile's Teeth (Greenfield Review Press, 1985)

Books:

Theatrix: Poetry Plays (Anhinga Press, 2021)

Professor Harriman's Steam Air-Ship (Eyewear Publishing, 2016)

When The Next Big War Blows Down the Valley (Anhinga Press, 2015)

Weapons Grade (University of Arkansas Press, 2009)

Treason (Zoo Press, 2002)

Mere Mortals (University of Georgia Press, 1995)

Laughing Africa (University of Iowa Press, 1990)

All Aberration (University of Georgia Press, 1985)

Chapbook:

Dogs Are Not Cats (MadHat Press, 2013)

Prizes won:

Guggenheim, Bobst Prize in fiction, the Iowa Poetry Prize, an NEH translation grant, the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize, a Jerome Foundation video prize, Juniper Prize and the O. Henry Award and Juniper Prize for the short story, and a Pushcart Prize for the essay. Three-time winner of the New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship.

Watch

"Bridge, Mother", read by Terese Svoboda

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors:

Joy Williams, Latasha Nevada Diggs, Fred Moten, Lewis Nordan and Marie Ndiaye

What I'm reading now:

Harrow by Joy Williams, Winter by Ali Smith

More Information

Gives readings:

Yes

Travels for readings:

Yes

Identifies as:

American

Prefers to work with:

Adults

Fluent in:

English

Born in:

Ogallala, NE

Nebraska

Raised in:

Nebraska

Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.

Last update: Oct 08, 2023