Adam Giannelli
Photo by James Kendi
Bio
Adam Giannelli is the author of Tremulous Hinge (University of Iowa Press, 2017), winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize; the translator of a selection of prose poems by Marosa di Giorgio, Diadem (BOA Editions, 2012); and the editor of High Lonesome (Oberlin College Press, 2006), a collection of essays on Charles Wright. His poetry has appeared in the Kenyon Review, New England Review, New York Times Magazine, Ploughshares, Yale Review, and elsewhere. His work has been recognized by the Fulbright Program, James Merrill House, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, MacDowell, and Yaddo. He currently teaches literature and creative writing at Colby College.
When the National Endowment for the Arts called to inform me of this fellowship, I characteristically didn’t answer. As I person who stutters, I’ve always been wary of the phone. I’ve recently, though, been writing poems about stuttering, and I really take the grant as an affirmation of this new work. Stuttering is stigmatized in our society, and as a child I went to elaborate lengths to hide my voice, such as avoiding words that were difficult to say. For example, when I introduced myself, I would only say my first name, omitting my last name. I see these new poems as a way to claim my voice as my own, and this miraculous grant verifies that my voice matters. I truly appreciate the time and space this honor will afford me. But I am equally grateful to everyone at the NEA for listening to me. I wrote these poems for myself, and for other people who stutter, but the award shows that the work appeals to a wider audience. Bodily difference takes many forms, and stuttering is only one of them. The grant has a rich history, and I am truly honored to be considered among such magnificent company.