Mary Jo Bang

The National Book Critics Circle selected Mary Jo Bang's fifth book of poems, Elegy, for their 2007 poetry prize during ceremonies Thursday night, March 7, in New York City. Elegy chronicles the year following the death of the author's son and has been praised as "musically virtuosic, fearlessly revealing, and achingly sad." Poet Marjorie Perloff wrote of Elegy, "I know of no contemporary elegy that has its power."

Bang attended the University of Iowa as a student, and will teach as a visiting professor at the Writers' Workshop in the Fall 2008 semester. She is currently an Associate Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Washington University in St. Louis.

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