Claudia Emerson

Poet

Claudia Emerson (1957-2014) was an American poet who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006 for her fourth collection of poetry, Late Wife. Her work was known for its honesty, exploring the complexities of emotion and identity, and for its rich use of craft and language. Born in Chatham, Virginia, she earned a BA from the University of Virginia and an MFA from Southern Illinois University. She went on to teach at numerous institutions, including the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Her poetry was highly praised for its sonnets, villanelles, sestinas, and free verse forms, showing her adept use of classical forms as well as her inventive experimentation. Often rooted in her Virginia home and its conflicts of community, family, and romantic love, her work also reveals her wit, joy, and startling insight. Emerson’s first book was Pinion: An Elegy (Louisiana State University Press, 2002). Subsequent collections include Figure Studies (Louisiana State University Press, 2006), and Secure the Shadow (LSU Press, 2012). These and other volumes, as well as her essays and reviews, appear in numerous literary and poetry anthologies. Her honors included several fellowships and awards, including grants from the Academy of American Poets, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation. She served as poetry editor for The Virginia Quarterly and was the recipient of a 2002 Academy of American Poets Fellowship. Claudia Emerson’s work stands as an enduring legacy that speaks for itself and for the power of poetry’s ability to touch readers with its imagery, emotion, and expression.