Robert Strong has received fellowships for creative research from the Massachusetts Historical Society and the American Antiquarian Society. He is the founding editor of the Poetic Research column at Common-place, the journal of early American history and culture.  His previous books include Puritan Spectacle, the anthology Joyful Noise: An Anthology of American Spiritual Poetry, the chapbook Brethren: Order of the Seasons, and the conceptual fiction Manufact Hologram. He lives in Maine.

 

Extended Biography

Robert Strong is a poet, writer, and scholar widely recognized for his innovative work combining archival research and literary production.

His first full-length collection of poetry, Puritan Spectacle, was completed with the generous assistance of a Mellon research fellowship at the Massachusetts Historical Society.  During the course of his poetic research, Robert unearthed an important early example of an American conversion narrative, which he transcribed and introduced for the New England Quarterly. Robert’s forthcoming book of poetry, Bright Advent, was recently selected for the Marie Alexander Series and will be published by White Pine Press in 2017.  This book, which is a hybrid-genre work incorporating verse lines, prose chunks, and archival material from the 1600’s, was supported by a creative arts research fellowship at the American Antiquarian Society.  You can read an introduction to and selection of Bright Advent at Common-place.  Robert is currently the editor of Poetic Research for the journal.

Robert did his graduate work in creative writing at The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University (M.F.A.) and the University of Denver (Ph.D.).  As an undergraduate at Boston College, he wrote a thesis on institutional racism for the Faith, Peace, and Justice Program.

Widely published in journals such as Jubilat, Hotel Amerika, 14 Hills, and Denver Quarterly, Robert’s other books (and book-like objects) include the anthology Joyful Noise, the chapbook Brethren: Order of the Seasons, the conceptual fiction Manufact Hologram, and (for the anti-childhood obesity campaign Dunk the Junk) the children’s book Animals Ate the Alphabet.