One Above & One Below

by Erin Belieu

Erin Belieu's debut, Infanta, was selected for the National Poetry Series and quickly sold through its large first printing. Both The Washington Post and the National Book Critics Circle named it as one of the best poetry books for 1993.Now, in her second book, Belieu is proving herself a poet worthy of all the recognition. Coaxing a voice of urban chic from the dirt-filled roots of rural tension, these poems, many of which have appeared in publications such as The New York Times and The Atlantic Monthly, are as captivating as any in American poetry.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2000

About the author

Associate Professor, MFA The Ohio State University (1992), MA Boston University (1995), specializes in poetry. Her first book, Infanta, was selected by Hayden Carruth for the National Poetry Series and was named one of the ten best books of 1995 by Library Journal, Washington Post Book World, and the National Book Critics' Circle. Her second collection, One Above and One Below, won the Ohioana Award and the Society of Midland Authors Award. Her poems have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Slate, Nerve, The Yale Review, TriQuarterly, Ploughshares, The New York Times, and others. She previously served as managing editor of AGNI.
Belieu's third poetry collection, Black Box, was published by Copper Canyon press in early 2007 and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Poems from Black Box appeared in places such as Ploughshares, Tin House and The Virginia Quarterly Review (and are available to read in the magazines' website archives). Her poem "The Last Of The Gentlemen Heartbreakers" was featured on the Poetry Daily website. Belieu also wrote as a featured poet for The Poetry Foundation website in July 2006. The daily blog she kept for the foundation can be found at www.poetryfoundation.org.
In September 2006, Belieu embarked on the Wave Press Poetry Bus Tour. Along with poets such as Matthew Zapruder, Joshua Beckman, Eileen Myles and Arthur Sze, Belieu traveled cross country in a tour bus, stopping to read from Black Box in places such as Seattle, Spokane, Missoula, Boise, Jackson Hole and Omaha.
In August 2009, Belieu co founded (with poet Cate Marvin) the organization VIDA: Women In Literary Arts whose mission is "to explore critical and cultural perceptions of writing by women through meaningful conversation and the exchange of ideas among existing and emerging literary communities." Since the organization's founding, VIDA has become a strong national media presence and Belieu has focused her writing on non fiction, responding to issues of gender bias in publishing in places such as Slate and The New York Times. In 2010, VIDA will be a sponsor of the AWP conference in Washington DC.
Belieu is presently at work on a non fiction memoir detailing her experiences in parenting a special needs child. New poems have appeared recently in Lit, 32 Poems and Prairie Schooner. Belieu is also the Artistic Director of the Port Townsend Writers Conference. The conference brings in nationally and internationally acclaimed poets and prose writers to work with participants every July on the island of Port Townsend, Washington.

Reviews

[Heather Gibbons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a strong collection. I love the range here in terms of theme, form, and voice, and I'm particularly impressed with the way Belieu uses sound.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

8/31

How did I happen upon this collection? How did it languish on my shelves before I read it? I don’t know the answer to either of these questions, but I do know that I find Erin Belieu precise, amusing, a quick turner of phrases, full of grief, and willing to recognize women who have been pushed aside.

#sealeychallenge #ErinBelieu

From “Cephalophore”

“But that’s sentimental evidence
for your unlikely veneration--
if childhood misery made pilgrims
elect, we’d each have a congress
of apostles stumping at the Vatican.”

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm driving:
to where the prairie sulks
like an ex-husband

[Diann Blakely]

Erin Belieu, whose snazzy first book, INFANTA, was selected by Hayden Carruth for the highly prestigious National Poetry Series, deepens her interrogation of both classical and American myth—the latter primarily in its Midwestern variations—in this new collection, which belongs on the "must-read" list of everyone celebrating National Poetry Month 2001.

[Northpapers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection places a nimble, emotional mind in a world akin to Raymond Carver's. Music emerges calmly from crumbling relationships, interrupted landscapes, and shifting sympathies.

My favorite moments involved the intentional confusion of landscape and human relations. Glad I read it, and eager to read more from this poet.

[hh · Rating 4 out of 5]

the first of undoubtedly several readings of this book. belieu tells you about the world you think you know in ways that you never knew you were missing.