James Brock
| James Brock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 2, 1958 |
James Brock is an American poet and playwright, born in Boise, Idaho.[1] He is best known for his eclectic poetry, ranging from New York School inspired experiments to formal verse and narrative poems. His plays veer more toward the poetic rather than the narrative, toward impressionistic flashes rather than climatic three-act plots, toward prayer rather than script.[2] He received his B.A. from The College of Idaho and his M.F.A. and Ph. D. from Indiana University, and he currently is a full Professor of English at Florida Gulf Coast University.
In 2008, Brock began to delve in performance, acting, and playwriting, and since 2011, he has retired from actively publishing poetry. In 2012, he assisted Brittney Brady in the founding of Ghostbird Theatre Company, which is the resident theater company of the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers, Florida. For Ghostbird, Brock wrote and performed in his first play, "The Pumpkin Grower" in October 2012. For this play, Brock won a 2013 Individual Artist Fellowship from the State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.
His earlier life saw him in various odd jobs such as grocery produce clerk, roofer at a trailer factory, a bear field researcher, and a librarian.
Honors
National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship
American Academy of Poets Prize
Alex Haley Foundation Fellowship
Tennessee Arts Commission Fellowship
Idaho Commission for the Arts Fellowship
City of Fort Myers Arts and Culture Grant
State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship
Plays
The Guardsman, a new translation of Ferenc Molnàr's play
Because Beauty Must Be Broken Daily
The Pumpkin Grower
Books
Gods & Money
Pictures That Got Small
Nearly Florida
The Sunshine Mine Disaster
Anthologies
Idaho +: Contemporary Poetry from the American West
Idaho's Poetry: A Centennial Anthology
Snakebird: Thirty Years of Anhinga Poetry
Saints of Hysteria