Benediction

Poetry. Women's Studies. More than twenty years in the writing, BENEDICTION is Alice Notley's single long poem of mourning, desire, loss, and vitality.

Alice Notley (born 8 November 1945) is an American poet. She was born in Bisbee, Arizona and grew up in Needles, California. She received a B.A from Barnard College in 1967 and an M.F.A. from the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1969. She married poet Ted Berrigan in 1972, with whom she was active in the Chicago poetry scene and with whom she had two sons. In the early 70s she became rooted in New York's Lower East Side, where she was an important force from 1976 through 1992. After Berrigan died in 1983, Notley raised their two sons in New York's East Village by herself for several years while continuing to develop her poetry. In 1992 she moved to Paris with her second husband, the British poet Douglas Oliver (1937-2000). She lives in Paris currently, making several trips to the United States each year to give readings and teach writing classes. She is the author of over twenty five books of poetry. Recent titles include REASON AND OTHER WOMEN (Chax Press, 2010), NEGATIVITY'S KISS (Presses Universitaires de Rouen, 2014), MANHATTAN LUCK (Hearts Desire Press, 2014), and BENEDICTION (Letter Machine Editions, 2015).