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INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Every so often, an amazing thought strikes Sierra Nevada College student Jessie Alhandy: one of the most important contemporary poets in the world is her teacher.
“I find myself at the desk writing a prompt he has assigned and thinking, ‘Wow, Brian Turner is my instructor,'” Alhandy said.
In January of this year in London at the 2,900-seat Royal Festival Hall, poets on the prestigious short list for the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry drew large crowds, nearly selling out one of the world's leading performance venues.
Lines of poetry lovers came to hear the world's Top 10 poets, which included two Nobel laureates among the award-winning writers. In this prestigious short list for the top prize in poetry was the unassuming professor who normally strolls the walks of Sierra Nevada College and teaches its students about poetry.
Turner is a humanities professor at the private, four-year college in Incline Village, but he is also a noted name in poetry.
Turner created a literary stir when he published a poetry book about his memories of serving in Iraq as an infantry team leader. The prize-winning collection, “Here, Bullet,” was inspired by Turner's first-hand experiences in the Iraq war.
Turner was named in 2010 to the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry Top 10 for his collection of poems called “Phantom Noise,” published in 2010, in which he “deftly illuminates existence as both easily ex tinguishable and ultimately en during,” according to his literary agen cy, Blue Flower Arts.
In January, the winner of the prestigious prize was announced: Derek Walcott, whose poems about the Caribbean earned him a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992.
“Being shortlisted is a great honor,” Turner said. “Nobody likes to lose, but losing to another Nobel laureate, Derek Walcott, takes the sting out of it considerably.”
Turner said the highlights of the experience overseas include talking with Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, who was also on the short list; meeting Valerie Eliot, T.S. Eliot's wife; and reading his poetry in front of the crowd at the Royal Festival Hall.
The poetry competition was created in 1993 to celebrate the Poetry Book Society's 40th anniversary and honor its founding poet, T.S. Eliot. The £15,000 prize ($23,827), the largest in British poetry, is donated by Eliot's wife. In addition, each of the top 10 poets received £1,000 ($1,588).
When the short list was announced, chief Judge Anne Stevenson said, “The judges have found this an exceptional year for poetry, with a record number of entries, and have agreed on a strong short list which is unusually eclectic in form and theme.”
Turner's presence on the Sierra Neva da College campus is a gift to the academic community, bringing “a new level of energy, passion and new ideas,” said Alhandy, a junior English major.
“For a man who is wanted around the world for his brilliant gift of writing, In cline is privileged to have him as a current resident,” she said. “As an instructor, Brian inspires me, makes me want to be a published author, and at times wonder if maybe I, too, can be nominated for the T.S. Eliot Poetry Prize. In Brian Turner's class, there is no idea too big or too small to talk about.”
“I find myself at the desk writing a prompt he has assigned and thinking, ‘Wow, Brian Turner is my instructor,'” Alhandy said.
In January of this year in London at the 2,900-seat Royal Festival Hall, poets on the prestigious short list for the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry drew large crowds, nearly selling out one of the world's leading performance venues.
Lines of poetry lovers came to hear the world's Top 10 poets, which included two Nobel laureates among the award-winning writers. In this prestigious short list for the top prize in poetry was the unassuming professor who normally strolls the walks of Sierra Nevada College and teaches its students about poetry.
Turner is a humanities professor at the private, four-year college in Incline Village, but he is also a noted name in poetry.
Turner created a literary stir when he published a poetry book about his memories of serving in Iraq as an infantry team leader. The prize-winning collection, “Here, Bullet,” was inspired by Turner's first-hand experiences in the Iraq war.
Turner was named in 2010 to the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry Top 10 for his collection of poems called “Phantom Noise,” published in 2010, in which he “deftly illuminates existence as both easily ex tinguishable and ultimately en during,” according to his literary agen cy, Blue Flower Arts.
In January, the winner of the prestigious prize was announced: Derek Walcott, whose poems about the Caribbean earned him a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1992.
“Being shortlisted is a great honor,” Turner said. “Nobody likes to lose, but losing to another Nobel laureate, Derek Walcott, takes the sting out of it considerably.”
Turner said the highlights of the experience overseas include talking with Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, who was also on the short list; meeting Valerie Eliot, T.S. Eliot's wife; and reading his poetry in front of the crowd at the Royal Festival Hall.
The poetry competition was created in 1993 to celebrate the Poetry Book Society's 40th anniversary and honor its founding poet, T.S. Eliot. The £15,000 prize ($23,827), the largest in British poetry, is donated by Eliot's wife. In addition, each of the top 10 poets received £1,000 ($1,588).
When the short list was announced, chief Judge Anne Stevenson said, “The judges have found this an exceptional year for poetry, with a record number of entries, and have agreed on a strong short list which is unusually eclectic in form and theme.”
Turner's presence on the Sierra Neva da College campus is a gift to the academic community, bringing “a new level of energy, passion and new ideas,” said Alhandy, a junior English major.
“For a man who is wanted around the world for his brilliant gift of writing, In cline is privileged to have him as a current resident,” she said. “As an instructor, Brian inspires me, makes me want to be a published author, and at times wonder if maybe I, too, can be nominated for the T.S. Eliot Poetry Prize. In Brian Turner's class, there is no idea too big or too small to talk about.”
