Edwin Torres

Poet

Beacon, NY
New York US
Email: 
edwin@brainlingo.com
Website: 
www.brainlingo.com
Twitter/X: 
@Brainlingo

Author's Bio

Edwin Torres is a native of New York City and the author of twelve poetry collections. He was a member of the poetry collective "Nuyorican Poets Café Live" that revitalized Spoken Word in the early 90's — touring worldwide, performing and teaching workshops in a range of settings, from academia to the open air. The diversity of NYC’s East Village in the early ‘90’s sparked his poetry education, along with the combined cultural forces of Dixon Place, The Nuyorican Poets Café, The St. Marks Poetry Project and assorted warehouses and lofts off the grid. Multi-disciplinary improvisations across a range of collaborators, poets, musicians, dancers and artists contributed to the development of his transformative language-work. His CD “Holy Kid” was part of the Whitney Museum’s exhibit “The Last American Century Part II.” He produced and hosted a radio show on PS.1/MOMA’s online radio station WPS1, and has taught his workshop, “Brainlingo: Writing The Voice Of The Body,” an experiential creative laboratory using sensory awareness as a basis for the creative process, across the country and for a full semester at University of Pennsylvania. A self-described lingualisualist, fluent in the languages of sight and sound, Edwin has a dual career as a visual artist, working in the field of advertising and graphic design plus 25 years (www.heyedwn.com).

Publications & Prizes

Anthologies:
Best American Poetry (Scribner, 2004)
,
Role Call (Third World Press, 2002)
,
Heights of the Marvelous (St. Martins Press, 2000)
,
Poetry Nation (Vehicule Press, 2000)
,
Short Fuse (Rattapallax Press, 2000)
,
New American Poetry (Talisman House Publications, 1996)
,
Aloud: Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe (Henry Holt, 1994)
Books:
QUANUNDRUM: i will be your many angled thing (Roof Books, 2021)
,
Of What Is (Center for Book Arts, 2019)
,
THE BODY IN LANGUAGE (editor) (Counterpath Press, 2019)
,
XOETEOX: THE INFINITE WORD OBJECT (Wave Books, 2018)
,
AMERISCOPIA (University of Arizona Press, 2014)
,
YES THING NO THING (Roof Books, 2010)
,
IN THE FUNCTION OF EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES (Nightboat Books, 2009)
,
THE POPEDOLOGY OF AN AMBIENT LANGUAGE (Atelos Press, 2007)
,
PLEASE (Faux Press, 2002)
,
THE ALL-UNION DAY OF THE SHOCK WORKER (Roof Books, 2001)
,
ONOMALINGUA: NOISE SONGS AND POETRY (Rattapallax Press, 2000)
,
FRACTURED HUMOROUS (Subpress, 1999)
Journals:
BOMB Magazine
,
Bombay Gin
,
Brooklyn Rail
,
Chain
,
Cross Culture Poetics
,
Hostos Review
,
Kenning
,
Long Shot
,
Lungfull!
,
Pom Pom
,
Rattapallax
,
Shore
,
Van Gogh's Ear
,
World
Prizes won: 

Emergency Performance Grant — Foundation for Contemporary Arts, for "Water's Way: A Poet's Choir for The Hudson River" performance at Soon Is Now Climate Festival, Beacon NY / Sept. 2022

2022 American Book Award — The Before Columbus Foundation, for "Quanundrum" (Roof Books) / June 2022

Writer Residency — Stetson University, Orlando, FLA / Jan 2022

Nominator — MacArthur Grant, NYC, NY / Sept 2021

 

Judge — Poetry Fellowship, Foundation for Contemporary Arts, NYC, NY / Aug 2020

Judge — Chapbook Competition, Annual Press Prize, The Center For Book Arts, NYC, NY / Feb 2019

Artist Residency — First Choice, ICA International Center of Art, Richmond, VA / March 2018

Fellowship in Poetics & Poetic Practice — University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia / Oct 2016-May 2017

Artist Residency — Open Sessions, The Drawing Center, NYC, NY / March 2016-2018

Artist Residency — Writing On It All, Arts Program / Governors Island, NYC, NY / June 2016

Theater Residency — PIFA: Philadelphia Festival of Arts, Kimmel Arts Center, Philadelphia, PA /April 2016

Judge — Andres Montoya Poetry Prize, Biennial First Book Prize / University of Notre Dame, IN / Jan 2016

Judge — Artist Residencies, Mid-Hudson Arts Council / Millay Colony, Austerlitz, NY / Oct-Dec 2015

Artist Fellowship — Beyond Hunger: City of Tomorrow Symposium / City Harvest, NYC, NY / Nov 2015

Judge — Artist & Writer Residency Program / Millay Colony, Austerlitz, NY / Oct-Dec 2015

Mentor — AWP’s Mentorship Program, Association of Writer’s & Writing Programs / Sept 2015-Dec 2015

Theater Residency — Kimmel Arts Center, Philadelphia, PA / Dec. 2013

Artist Residency — DIA Foundation / Thomas Hirschorn’s “Gramsci Monument,” NYC, NY / July 2013

Mentor — The Poetry Project / Emerge-Surface-Be Program, NYC, NY / Nov. 2012-May 2013

Artist Residency — Fundacion Valparaiso, Malaga, Spain / May 2007

Writer Residency — Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, NYC, NY / Oct 2006-April 2007

Judge — NYFA Fellowship for Poetry, New York Foundation for the Arts, NYC, NY / Mar 2004

Poetry Fellowship — New York Foundation for the Arts, NYC, NY / April 2001

Judge — PEW Fellowship for Poetry, The PEW Charitable Trust, Philadelphia, PA / Mar 1999

Poetry Fellowship — The Poetry Fund, NYC, NY / Feb 1998

Artist Residency — Bunnell Street Gallery, Anchorage, Alaska / Feb. 1997

Mentor — The Loft / Mentor Fellowship Program, Minneapolis, Minn. / March 1996

Writer Residency — Sydney Arts Festival / Writers in Residence Program, Sydney, Australia / Feb 1996

Performance Fellowship — The Foundation for Contemporary Performance Art, NYC, NY / Jan 1996

Watch

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
American, Latino/Latina/Latinx, Puerto Rican
Prefers to work with: 
Any
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
Bronx, NY
New York
Raised in: 
Bronx, NY
New York
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: May 19, 2023