Joe Ross

Author of twelve 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.

In 1997 he 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.

In 1997 he received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship Award for his poetry. He presently resides in Paris.

Books

• Strata, Dusie Press, May 2008
• FRACTURED // Connections..., La Camera Verde, 2008
• Strati, La Camera Verde, 2007
• EQUATIONS = equals, Green Integer, 2004
• The Wood Series, Seeing Eye Books, 1997
• The Fuzzy Logic Series, Texture Press, 1996
• Full Silence, Upper Limit Books, 1995
• Push, Leave Books, 1994
• De-flections, Poets & Poets Press, 1994
• An American Voyage, Sun & Moon Press, 1993
• Guards of the Heart, Blue Corner Books, 1992
• How to Write, Texture Press, 1992

Anthologies

• The Best American Poetry 1988,Debut Edition, 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 Area Poets, 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 Award, 2003
• 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