Christopher Merrill

Creative Nonfiction Writer, Fiction Writer, Poet

Iowa City, IA
Iowa US
Email: 
christopher-merrill@uiowa.edu
Website: 
www.christophermerrillbooks.com

Author's Bio

Christopher Merrill has published four collections of poetry, including Brilliant Water and Watch Fire; translations of Aleš Debeljak’s Anxious Moments and The City and the Child; several edited volumes, among them, The Forgotten Language: Contemporary Poets and Nature and From the Faraway Nearby: Georgia O’Keeffe as Icon; and four books of nonfiction, The Grass of Another Country: A Journey Through the World of Soccer, The Old Bridge: The Third Balkan War and the Age of the Refugee, Only the Nails Remain: Scenes from the Balkan Wars, and Things of the Hidden God: Journey to the Holy Mountain. His work has been translated into twenty-five languages, his journalism appears in many publications, and he is the book critic for the daily radio news program, The World. He has held the William H. Jenks Chair in Contemporary Letters at the College of the Holy Cross, and now directs the International Writing Program at The University of Iowa.

Publications & Prizes

Creative Nonfiction

Books:
The Tree of the Doves: Ceremony, Expedition. War (Milkweed Editions, 2011)
,
Things of the Hidden God: Journey to the Holy Mountain (Random House, 2005)
,
The Grass of Another Country (Henry Holt, 1993)

Poetry

Books:
7 poets 4 Days 1 Book (Trinity University Press, 2009)
,
Brilliant Water (White Pine Press, 2001)
,
Watch Fire (White Pine Press, 1994)
Prizes won: 

Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, French Ministry of Culture and Communications,
2006.
The Kostas Kyriazis Foundation Honorary International Literary Prize, 2005.
Translation Awards, Korean Literature Translation Institute, 2003, 2004, 2006.
The Writers Association of Bosnia-Herzegovina Annual Literary Award, The Bosnian Stecak, 2001.
Finalist, 1997 Los Angeles Times Book Prize, for The Four Questions of Melancholy: New and Selected Poems by Tomaz Šalamun (editor).
Translation Award, Slovenian Ministry of Culture, 1997.
The Academy of American Poets Peter I. B. Lavan Younger Poets Award, 1993.
Readers’ Choice Award in Poetry, Prairie Schooner, 1992.
Ingram Merrill Foundation Award in Poetry, 1991.
Editors’ Award in Poetry, Columbia: A Magazine of Poetry & Prose, 1990.
Pushcart Prize XV in Poetry, 1990.
John Ciardi Fellow in Poetry, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, 1989.

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Born in: 
Northampton
Raised in: 
Brookside, NJ
New Jersey
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Jun 01, 2009