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About Joe Ross
Author of over fifteen books of poetry, Joe Ross was born in Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude from the Honors Program at Temple University in Philadelphia. He soon moved thereafter to Washington, D.C. where he wrote his first book, Guards of the Heart, consisting of four plays written in poetic form.
In Washington D.C., he worked at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and was extraordinarily active in the cultural scene of that city. He served as the President of the Board of the Poetry Committee at The Folger Shakespeare Library from 1994-1997 and as the Literary Editor of the arts bi-monthly The Washington Review from 1991-1997. He also Co-founded and directed the In Your Ear poetry reading series at the District of Columbia Arts Center. During these years Ross continued to publish poetry, including How to Write; or, I used to be in love with my jailer (Texture Press, 1992); An American Voyage (Sun & Moon Press, 1993); Push (Leave Books, 1994); De-flections (Potes and Poets, 1994); Full Silence (Upper Limit Music, 1995); and The Fuzzy Logic Series (Texture Press, 1996).
His poetry reveals close links with the "Language" poets but seeks in its often disjunctive structure, puns, and linguistic riddles, to be accessible to a large audience. Many of Ross's poems are subliminally political while concerned with love and interrelations between individuals. The American Voyage, in particular, concerns the idealism of American culture and its failures as a culture to live up to those ideals.
Douglas Messerli, Publisher of Sun & Moon Press
In 1997 he received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Award for his poetry and moved to San Diego, where he worked for The City of San Diego Commission's for Arts and Culture. In 1999, he left that position to put his poetics into practice, and to work directly in politics. He served as the Senior Chief of Policy for several elected officials. He also continued to be very active in the San Diego cultural scene, serving as a board member of the San Diego Art Institute and Co-founding and curating the Beyond the Page reading series in that city. Two more books appeared: The Wood Series (Seeing Eye Books, 1997); and EQUATIONS=equals (Green Integer, 2004). In 2003 he received his first of three Gertrude Stein Poetry Awards.
In 2004, he moved to Paris, where he continues to publish while working in communication and social change. His most recent titles are: Strati (Bi-lingual Italian/English, La Camera Verde, 2007); Strata (Dusie Press, 2008); Wordlick (Green Integer, 2011); 1000 Folds (Chax Press, 2014); Last Days on Earth (Dusie Press, 2017); and History and its Making – The Making of History (Bi-lingual French/English, Presses Universitaires de Rouen et du Havre, 2017). Forthcoming, Where Was The Flag Before, (Chax Press, 2025).
BOOKS :
Guards of the Heart: Four Plays (Sun & Moon Press, 1990)
How to Write; or, I used to be in love with my jailer (Texture Press, 1992)
An American Voyage (Sun & Moon Press, 1993)
Push (Leave Books, 1994)
De-flections (Potes & Poets Press, 1994)
Full Silence (Upper Limit Music Press, 1995)
The Fuzzy Logic Series (Texture Press, 1996)
The Wood Series (Seeing Eye Books, 1997)
EQUATIONS =equals (Green Integer Press, 2004)
Strati (Bi-lingual Italian/English, La Camera Verde, 2007)
FRACTURED // Conections … (Bi-lingual Italian/English, La Camera Verde, 2008)
Strata (Dusie Press, 2008)
Wordlick (Green Integer, 2011)
1000 Folds (Chax Press, 2014)
Threads in Time (Atelier de Villemorge, 2016 Livre d'artiste, gravures by Jacky Essirard)
History and its Making – The Making of History, (Bi-lingual French/English, Presses Universitaires de Rouen et du Havre, 2017)
Last Days on Earth, (Dusie Press, 2017)
Where Was The Flag Before, (forthcoming, Chax Press, 2025
Anthologies:
Debut Edition of - The Best American Poetry 1988, Scribner/MacMillan Publishing Company,
John Ashbery Editor
Writing From the New Coast, Oblek Press, Peter Gizzi Editor
Hungry As We Are, An Anthology of Washington DC Poet, Washington Writers Publishing House, Ann Darr, editor
PIP Anthology of World Poetry of the 20th Century Vol 5. “Intersection – Innovative Poetry in Southern California, Green Integer Press; Douglas Messerli, Editor
Honors:
Gertrude Stein Poetry Awards, 2003, 2005, and 2006
National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Literature, 1997
District of Columbia Commission for Arts and Humanities Grant Recipient, 1992 & 1997
International Who’s Who in Poetry, Cambridge, ENGLAND
