Wednesday Poet Series No. 6

One of the things that has impressed me about this weeks Wednesday Poet has been the gift of her art to others; teaching children, young people, professional writers, educators, senior citizens and inmates at a prison for the criminally insane. Cecilia Woloch is the author of at least three poetry books. They are Late, Tsigan, and Sacrifice.

The poet Maxine Kumin said about Woloch and her book Late, the newest of the three, "To write movingly about love in an era infused with hate requires a special gift: nostalgia hard-edged with realism. She has that gift."

Woloch's talent has not only been directed to the printed page, but has been transformed to instruction with others through her many teaching and workshop assignments.
Those include University of the Redlands, New England College MFA Program in Poetry, Emory University, The Cider Press Review, California State University at Northridge, and Western Connecticut State University. She is the founding director of Summer Poetry in Idyllwild and the Paris Poetry Workshop.

Her credits are extensive - Nimrod, New Letters, The Chattahoochee Review, Zyzzyva, Good Poems for Hard Times, edited by Garrison Keillor to name a few. Her poetry has been translated into at lest three other languages, German, French, and Polish.

Woloch has received numerous awards for her work including:

• Pushcart Prize Nominations: 1999 (awarded Special Mention), 2000, 2002, 2003
• California Arts Council, Artist-in-Residence Grants, 1987, '88,'89, '91, '92, '93
• 2004 Georgia Author of the Year in Poetry, Georgia Writers Association for her book Late
• 2001 Anhinga Prize for Poetry, Finalist
• 2000 CEC/ArtsLink International Grant
• 2000 Hawthornden Castle International Retreat for Writers Fellowship
• 1999 Sue Saniel Elkind Poetry Prize, Kalliope Magazine, Finalist
• 1995 Literal Latte Poetry Competition, First Prize
• 1994 Marianne Moore Prize for Poetry, Finalist

Here are a few of Cecilia Woloch's poems:

1. On Faith
2. The Pick
3. Burning the Doll
4. The Gypsy Poem
5. Slow Children at Play

You can find more on Cecilia Woloch at these sites:

• Cecilia Woloch's Official Site
• Cecilia's Blog - Catching up with Cecilia

Tags: Wednesday Poet Series Cecilia Woloch