C. A. Conrad

CAConrad
Conrad in 2018
Conrad in 2018
Born (1966-01-01) January 1, 1966 (age 58)
Topeka, Kansas, US
Occupationpoet
LanguageEnglish
GenrePoetry

CAConrad (born 1966) is an American poet, professor, and the author of seven books. They were based in Philadelphia and later Asheville, North Carolina and Athens, Georgia.[1][2][3]

Early life

CAConrad was born January 1, 1966, in Topeka, Kansas, and grew up in Boyertown, Pennsylvania.[2] Their mother was a fourteen-year-old runaway and father was a Vietnam War veteran, their mother married three times.[2]

Conrad was bullied as a child and stated in the feature film documentary, The Book of Conrad (2015), "People called me ‘faggot’ more than they called me my name."[4]

Career

Conrad is known for using and inventing the poetic form of "[Soma]tics."[5] This form is a sort of writing prompt/personal exercise in being engaged in the present moment.

Conrad was one of the two poets in the short film, I Hope I'm Loud When I'm Dead (2018) by filmmaker Beatrice Gibson, also featured was poet Eileen Myles.[6][7][8]

Conrad was a 2014 Lannan Fellow, a 2013 MacDowell Fellow, and a 2011 Pew Fellow, they also conduct workshops on (Soma)tic poetry and Ecopoetics.[9][10] Their book While Standing in Line for Death won a 2018 Lambda Book Award.[11] Amanda Paradise: Resurrect Extinct Vibration received a 2022 PEN Oakland – Josephine Miles Literary Award.

In 2019, Conrad cancelled their planned appearance at the Swiss Institute Contemporary Art New York because of the organizations support of artist Tobias Madison, who was accused of domestic violence.[12]

Conrad teaches poetry at Columbia University and the Sandberg Art Institute in Amsterdam.[3]

Personal life

Conrad identifies as Queer.[13][11] In 1998, Conrad's boyfriend Mark Holmes (aka. Earth) was violently murdered in Tennessee.[2][14][4]

Bibliography

  • Deviant Propulsion (Soft Skull Press, 2006) ISBN 9781932360875, OCLC 57506566
  • Advanced Elvis Course (Soft Skull Press, 2009) ISBN 9781593762438, OCLC 276339539
  • The Book of Frank (Wave Books, 2010/Chax Press, 2009) ISBN 9781933517490, OCLC 645248360
  • The City Real & Imagined (with Frank Sherlock) (Factory School Books, 2010)
  • A Beautiful Marsupial Afternoon: New (Soma)tics (Wave Books, 2012) ISBN 9781933517599, OCLC 752471228
  • Ecodeviance : (soma)tics for the future wilderness (Wave Books, 2014) ISBN 9781940696010, OCLC 956321378
  • PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN (were you high when you said this?) (Worms Press, 2014)
  • While Standing in Line for Death (Wave Books, 2017) ISBN 9781940696553, OCLC 962409884
  • Amanda Paradise: Resurrect Extinct Vibration (Wave Books, 2021) ISBN 978-1950268429, OCLC 1240828484
  • You Don't Have What It Takes To Be My Nemesis: And Other (Soma)tics (Penguin Books, 2023) ISBN 9781802062458, OCLC 1388645152

Filmography

Year Title Role Type Notes
2015 The Book of Conrad Self documentary film [4]
2015 Boyland Jeremiah short film [15]
2018 I Hope I'm Loud When I'm Dead Script writing / poetry short film [6][7]

References

  1. ^ Murtha, Tara (2012-04-20). "The Rumpus Interview with CA Conrad". The Rumpus. Archived from the original on 2012-04-21. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  2. ^ a b c d Ridker, Andrew (2017-07-06). "Queer Bubbles". The Paris Review. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  3. ^ a b "Performance and Talk by CAConrad at Small Arms". Toronto Biennial of Art. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  4. ^ a b c "The Ritualized Anger of a Queer Poet". Hyperallergic. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
  5. ^ "Somatic Exercises" (PDF). U Penn.
  6. ^ a b "Bar Laika and Projections at the 57th New York Film Festival present: an evening with Beatrice Gibson". www.e-flux.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  7. ^ a b Riddle, Naomi (2019-08-09). "I Hope I'm Loud When I'm Dead – Beatrice Gibson". Running Dog. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  8. ^ "I Hope I'm Loud When I'm Dead". LUX. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  9. ^ "CAConrad". Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation. 2018-01-07. Retrieved 2018-01-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  10. ^ "7 Queer Poets You Should Know". www.advocate.com. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  11. ^ a b "Two Poems from an Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics". Literary Hub. 2020-11-25. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  12. ^ "Poet CA Conrad Cancels Appearance at the Swiss Institute in Solidarity With Alleged Victim of Domestic Abuse". Hyperallergic. 2019-10-10. Archived from the original on 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  13. ^ "The Queer Voice: Reparative Poetry Rituals & Glitter Perversions by CAConrad". Poetry Foundation. 2021-01-30. Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  14. ^ "I Loved Earth Years Ago - PEN America". pen.org. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 2018-10-19.
  15. ^ "BOYLAND by Gabe Rubin & Felix Bernstein". Brooklyn Film Festival. 2015. Archived from the original on 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2021-01-30.

Further reading


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