Claudia Emerson

Claudia Emerson is an award-winning American poet, essayist, and professor who rose to prominence with her 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of poetry, Late Wife. Born in Chatham, Virginia on January 13, 1957, she developed an interest in writing and poetry in early childhood, and was inspired by the natural beauty of the Piedmont region where she grew up. Emerson attended the University of Virginia, graduating with a BA in history and creative writing in 1979 and an MFA in creative writing in 1985.

Throughout much of her career, Emerson has focused on the land and its people; however, her poetry often expands beyond the boundaries of her native Virginia. She has written extensively about death, memory, identity, faith, desire, and family relationships, as well as themes of alienation, thwarted expectations, and contentment. Her work is noted for its intimate and often pensive look at the experience of living, both in her home and in the world at large. While her poems often draw on her upbringing in the South, they also explore universal themes. In doing so, she offers an accessible and lyrical explanation of the complexities of human relationships in both the contemporary and historical contexts.

Emerson’s debut collection of poems, Pharaoh, Pharaoh was published in 1997. It was praised by critics, who noted its study of relationships between families and their communities. She followed this up with her 2002 collection, Pinion: An Elegy, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her work gained even more recognition in 2006 with the release off Late Wife, which won Emerson the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry as well as the Library of Virginia Award. Her next collection, Figure Studies, was published in 2007, and was followed by her 2013 book Secure the Shadow, and her foray into non-fiction with the essay collection Furious Lullaby in 2015.

Writing critical essays and reviews for a number of outlets, Emerson has also been a featured author, most notably at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C. Along with her work as a writer, she has held professorships at the University of Mary Washington, Hollins University and Washington and Lee University. In 2011, she received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities and in 2019 was awarded the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize by the Poetry Foundation.

Claudia Emerson’s body of work is a testament to her impressive talent and insight. Her award-winning poetry reflects her experience, her family roots and her deep connection to her native Virginia. However, it is her commitment to exploring universal human experiences—as well as their historical contexts—that has earned her a revered place in the literary canon. Vivacious and intensely thoughtful, Emerson is an outstanding example of a poet whose voice is held in great esteem.