# Robin Becker

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Robin_Becker
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Robin_Becker.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Becker
> Source revision: 1348639729
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

This article is about the American poet and professor. For the German footballer, see [Robin Becker (footballer)](/source/Robin_Becker_(footballer)).

**Robin Becker** (born 1951) is an American [poet](/source/Poet), critic, feminist, and professor. She was born in [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania](/source/Philadelphia,_Pennsylvania), and is the author of seven collections of poetry, most recently, Tiger Heron and Domain of Perfect Affection ([University of Pittsburgh Press](/source/University_of_Pittsburgh_Press), 2014 and 2006). Her *All-American Girl* (University of Pittsburgh Press), won the 1996 Lambda Literary Award in Poetry. Becker earned a B.A. in 1973 and an M.A. from [Boston University](/source/Boston_University) in 1976. She lives in [Boalsburg, Pennsylvania](/source/Boalsburg,_Pennsylvania) and spends her summers in southern New Hampshire.

## Teaching career

Becker taught for seventeen years at the [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology) and is currently Professor of English and Women's Studies at [Pennsylvania State University](/source/Pennsylvania_State_University),[1] where she has taught since 1993.[2] She also teaches workshops such as those at the Summer Program Poetry Workshops at [The Fine Arts Center](/source/Fine_Arts_Center_(Provincetown,_Massachusetts)) in [Provincetown, Massachusetts](/source/Provincetown,_Massachusetts).

## Literary influences and praise

"Becker grew up listening to her grandmother's stories, learning from her the nuances of storytelling and her family's history in Ukraine. Becker was also greatly influenced by the women writers whose poetry was available in the 1970s, including [Adrienne Rich](/source/Adrienne_Rich), [Audre Lorde](/source/Audre_Lorde), [Maxine Kumin](/source/Maxine_Kumin), [Denise Levertov](/source/Denise_Levertov), and [Susan Griffin](/source/Susan_Griffin). "[3]

Her first two books were published by [Alice James Books](/source/Alice_James_Books), the first in 1977, *Personal Effects* (a three-poet anthology, including Robin Becker, Helena Minton and Marilyn Zuckerman), which makes her one of the earliest cooperative members of the press, which was founded in 1973,[4][5] so it seems fitting that [Ed Ochester](/source/Ed_Ochester) has said that "Robin is one of the most varied of the poets on the Pitt list in her style and subject matter--and the foremost feminist poet of her generation."[6]

In her biography of Robin Becker, Heidi Ogrodnek writes, "She is known for her work in Lesbian and Gay Studies and served as a visiting scholar at the Center for Lesbian and Gay studies at the CUNY in 1998. She has said, 'Feminist scholarship and gay and lesbian poetry have provided me with the tools with which to work.' Her collections of poetry develop precise, delicate imagery and… depict her own transition from girlhood to womanhood… Maxine Kumin has also been a tremendous inspiration to Becker...[she] learned that 'woman poets could celebrate their lives and not position themselves as victims in every story.' "[7]

Her poems, essays, and book reviews have appeared in publications including *Slate*[8] *The American Poetry Review, The Boston Globe, Gettysburg Review, AGNI, Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Prairie Schooner,* *The New Yorker*,[9] and *The Best American Poetry 2008.*[10] She has published book reviews in many venues, and writes a column on contemporary poetry called *Field Notes* for the *Women's Review of Books,* where she serves as Contributing and Poetry Editor.[11] Her honors include fellowships from The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies of the [City University of New York](/source/City_University_of_New_York), The William Steeple Davis Foundation, the Mary Bunting Institute of [Radcliffe College](/source/Radcliffe_College), and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation.

## Published works

### Full-length collections

- *The Black Bear Inside Me* University of Pittsburgh Press, 2018. ISBN 9780822965244, OCLC [1007925036](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1007925036)
- *Tiger Heron*, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2014. ISBN 9780822962984, OCLC [863789745](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/863789745)
- *Domain of Perfect Affection*, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2006. ISBN 9780822959311, OCLC [836512302](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/836512302)
- *The Horse Fair* University of Pittsburgh Press, 2000. ISBN 9780822957201, OCLC [248392704](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/248392704)
- *All-American Girl* (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1996)
- *Giacometti's Dog* University of Pittsburgh Press, 1990. ISBN 9780822936367, OCLC [246911199](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/246911199)
- *Backtalk*, Alice James Books, 1982. ISBN 9780914086369, OCLC [24055332](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/24055332)
- *Personal Effects* Alice James Books, 1977. ISBN 9780914086154, OCLC [2847282](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2847282)

### Chapbooks

- *Venetian Blue*, Frick Art Museum, 2002. ISBN 9780970342522, OCLC [51310528](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/51310528)

## Awards

- [1997](/source/1997_in_poetry): [Virginia Faulkner](/source/Virginia_Faulkner) Prize for Excellence in Writing from *Prairie Schooner*[12]
- [1996](/source/1996_in_poetry): [Lambda Literary Award](/source/Lambda_Literary_Award) in Lesbian Poetry
- [1989](/source/1989_in_poetry): [National Endowment for the Arts](/source/National_Endowment_for_the_Arts) - Literature Fellowship in Poetry[13]

## See also

- [Lesbian Poetry](/source/List_of_poets_portraying_sexual_relations_between_women)

## References

1. ["WGBH Forum Network: Meet the Poet: Robin Becker"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090906175303/http://forum.wgbh.org/lecture/meet-poet-robin-becker). Archived from [the original](http://forum.wgbh.org/lecture/meet-poet-robin-becker) on 2009-09-06. Retrieved 2009-05-20.

1. [Poetry Foundation > Robin Becker (1951 -- )](http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=431)

1. [Poetry Foundation > Robin Becker (1951 -- )](http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=431)

1. [Alice James Books > About Us](http://www.alicejamesbooks.org/about_ajb.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090210035118/http://www.alicejamesbooks.org/about_ajb.html) 2009-02-10 at the Wayback Machine

1. ["Alice James Books > *Personal Effects* Book Page"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090916223439/http://www.alicejamesbooks.org/personal_effects.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.alicejamesbooks.org/personal_effects.html) on 2009-09-16. Retrieved 2009-05-20.

1. [*The Washington Post* > *Poet’s Choice* > By Robert Pinsky > Sunday, July 16, 2006](http://thebestamericanpoetry.typepad.com/the_best_american_poetry/2009/04/ed-.html)

1. [PENN State > Pennsylvania Center for the Book > Robin Becker Biography > Prepared by Heidi Ogrodnek, Spring 2005](http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Becker__Robin.html)

1. [*Slate* > *Yoga* By Robin Becker > December 19, 1996](http://www.slate.com/id/3359/)

1. [The New Yorker > *Theory* By Robin Becker > March 28, 2016](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/03/28/theory-poem-robin-becker)

1. [The Best American Poetry > Ed Ochester Presents a Poem by Robin Becker > April 19, 2009](http://thebestamericanpoetry.typepad.com/the_best_american_poetry/2009/04/ed-.html)

1. ["Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown > 2009 Summer Program - Poetry Workshops"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090507151030/http://www.fawc.org/summer/wr_poetry.shtml). Archived from [the original](http://www.fawc.org/summer/wr_poetry.shtml) on 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2009-05-27.

1. ["UNL News Releases: 02/10/98"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110608023427/http://www.unl.edu/ucomm/ucomm/298/21098bnews.html). Archived from [the original](http://www.unl.edu/ucomm/ucomm/298/21098bnews.html) on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2009-05-21.

1. ["NEA Literature Fellowships > 40 Years of Supporting American Writers"](https://web.archive.org/web/20060923033120/http://www.arts.gov/pub/NEA_lit.pdf). Archived from [the original](http://www.arts.gov/pub/NEA_lit.pdf) on 2006-09-23. Retrieved 2010-02-02.

## Sources

- [The Academy of American Poets > Robin Becker](http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/529)
- [PENN State > Pennsylvania Center for the Book > Robin Becker Biography > Prepared by Heidi Ogrodnek, Spring 2005](https://archive.today/20120805211427/http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Becker__Robin.html)
- [PENN State Department of English > Faculty > Robin Becker](http://english.la.psu.edu/facultystaff/Bio_Becker.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090611001119/http://english.la.psu.edu/facultystaff/Bio_Becker.htm) 2009-06-11 at the Wayback Machine
- [WGBH Forum Network: Meet the Poet: Robin Becker](http://forum.wgbh.org/lecture/meet-poet-robin-becker) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090906175303/http://forum.wgbh.org/lecture/meet-poet-robin-becker) 2009-09-06 at the Wayback Machine
- [The Poetry Center at Smith College > Robin Becker](http://www.smith.edu/poetrycenter/poets/rbecker.htm)
- [Library of Congress Online Catalog](http://catalog.loc.gov/)

## External links

- [Audio: Robin Becker Reading Her Poems](http://forum.wgbh.org/lecture/meet-poet-robin-becker) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090906175303/http://forum.wgbh.org/lecture/meet-poet-robin-becker) 2009-09-06 at the Wayback Machine
- [*The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor* > http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=1997/06/03 *Kindness* > By Robin Becker > June 3, 1997](http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index.php?date=1997/06/03)
- [*The Washington Post* > *Poet’s Choice* > By Robert Pinsky > Sunday, July 16, 2006](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/13/AR2006071301064_pf.html)
- [*AGNI Online*: *The Elimination of First Thoughts* > By Robin Becker](http://web.bu.edu/agni/poetry/print/2002/56-becker.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100124161020/http://web.bu.edu/agni/poetry/print/2002/56-becker.html) 2010-01-24 at the Wayback Machine
- [*Smartish Pace* > Review by Marianne Cotugno of Robin Becker’s *Domain of Perfect Affection*](http://www.smartishpace.com/reviews/domain_of_perfect_affection/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20201202191633/https://www.smartishpace.com/reviews/domain_of_perfect_affection/) 2020-12-02 at the Wayback Machine
- [*Poetry Daily* > "Activist and Gardener: On Maxine Kumin's Torture Poems" > A Review by Robin Becker](http://poems.com/special_features/prose/essay_becker.php) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120221232533/http://poems.com/special_features/prose/essay_becker.php) 2012-02-21 at the Wayback Machine
- [*The American Poetry Review* > "A Review by Robin Becker of David Ferry’s Translation of *The Georgics of Virgil*"](http://www.aprweb.org/issues/nov06/becker.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20081222003015/http://www.aprweb.org/issues/nov06/becker.html) 2008-12-22 at the Wayback Machine
- [University of Pittsburgh Press > Robin Becker > *Domain of Perfect Affection Page*](http://www.upress.pitt.edu/BookDetails.aspx?bookId=35831) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20170501083153/http://www.upress.pitt.edu/BookDetails.aspx?bookId=35831) 2017-05-01 at the Wayback Machine

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Robin Becker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Becker) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Becker?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.