| Mormon Literature & Creative Arts Database

Mormon Literature & Creative Arts

  • Home
  • Browse Works
  • Browse People
  • Contribute
  • About

May Swenson

Widely appreciated as a significant American poet, May Swenson has earned the praise of Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Howard, and Elizabeth Bishop, and is described by John Hollander as \"one of our few unquestionably major poets.\" May Swenson has also been described as \"perhaps the best poet to come out of Mormondom,\" (Karl Keller Dialogue 14.2 p. 136) and as an \"accomplished imagist and devotee of the specific\" (Mary Bradford, Dialogue 13.3 p. 140). At the same time, she represents a controversial figure in Mormon literature, since she is also known as an \"expatriate\" to the Mormon culture (Bruce Jorgensen, Dialogue 9.4 p. 51). However, see Susan Howe\'s article regarding the Mormon aspects of May Swenson\'s poetry. Swenson published eleven collections of verse that have received many honors. Her poetry has appeared in major journals such as The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Parnassus, The Atlantic Monthly, etc. Included in 75 Significant Mormon Poets
  • The May Swenson Poetry Award
LDS
LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)
See the tribute to May Swenson by Veneta Nielsen
1913
Logan, Utah
1989
B.S., Utah State University Honorary Doctor of Letters, Utah State University
Female
Author, Editor
English
Recipient, Shelley Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America Recipient, Bollingen Prize in Poetry Recipient, Rockefeller, Ford, Guggenheim, and MacArthur fellowships The Utah State University Press now sponsors an annual poetry award in the name of May Swenson.

24 Works by May Swenson

Title Role Year Genre
More Poems to Solve Author 1971 Poetry
The Beam Author 1969 Poetry
If I Had Children Author 1990 Poetry
That the Soul May Wax Plump Author Poetry
Above Bear Lake Author Poetry
My Name Was Called Author Poetry
To Mix With Time Author 1963 Poetry
Poems to Solve Author 1966 Poetry
Half Sun, Half Sleep Author 1967 Poetry
The Scribner Anthology for Young People Author 1976
Painting the Gate Author Poetry
New & Selected Things Taking Place Author 1978 Poetry
Cat & the Weather Author Poetry
In Other Words Author 1987 Poetry
American Sports Poems Editor 1988 Poetry
The Love Poems of May Swenson Author 1991 Poetry
The Complete Poems to Solve Author 1993 Poetry
Nature Author 1994 Poetry
Night Practice Author Poetry
May Out West Author 1996 Poetry
Dear Elizabeth Author 2002 Poetry
The Centaur Author Poetry
Any Object Author Poetry
Her Hands Author 1966 Poetry
Copyright © 2023 Brigham Young University. All rights reserved.