Henri Cole Last updated October 31, 2025  American poet
Henri Cole  (born May 9, 1956) is an American  poet , who has published many collections of poetry and a memoir. His books have been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Arabic.
Biography Henri Cole was born in Fukuoka , Japan, to an American father and French-Armenian   [ 1]     mother, and raised in Virginia , United States. His father, a North Carolinian, enlisted in the service after graduating from high school and, while stationed in Marseille , met Cole's mother, who worked at the PX. Together they lived in Japan , Germany , Illinois , California , Nevada , Missouri  and Virginia , where Cole attended public schools and the College of William and Mary . He has published twelve collections of poetry in English.
From 1982 until 1988 he was executive director of The Academy of American Poets . [ 2]     Since that time he has held many teaching positions and been artist-in-residence at various institutions, including Brandeis University , Columbia University , Davidson College , Harvard University , Ohio State University , Reed College , Smith College , The College of William and Mary , and Yale University . He has collaborated with the visual artists Jenny Holzer  and Kiki Smith . [ 3]     And from 2010 to 2014, he was poetry editor of The New Republic . Cole currently teaches at Claremont McKenna College .
Books of poetry 2025: The Other Love , New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux 2023: Gravity and Center (Selected Sonnets, 1994-2022) , New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux 2023: Blizzard  (German translation by Henning Ahrens), Munich: Hanser Verlag, Edition Lyrik Kabinett 2021: Der sichtbare Mensch, Ausgewählte Gedicht  (German translation by Hans Raimund), Vienna: Löcker 2020: Blizzard , New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux [ 4]     2015: Nothing to Declare , New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux [ 5]     2015: Le Merle, Le Loup suivi de Toucher  (French translation by Claire Malroux), Paris: Le bruit du temps [ 6]     2011: Touch , New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux [ 7]     2011: Terre Médiane  (French translation by Claire Malroux), Paris: Le bruit du temps [ 8]     2010: Mirlo y Lobo  (Spanish translation by Eduardo López Truco), Cantabria: Quálea Editorial [ 9]     2010: Autoritratto con Gatti  (Italian translation by Massimo Bacigalupo), Parma: Guanda Editore [ 10]     2010: Pierce the Skin (Selected Poems, 1982-2007) , New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux [ 11]     2008: La Apariencia de la Cosas  (Spanish translation by Eduardo López Truco), Cantabria: Quálea Editorial [ 12]     2007: Blackbird and Wolf , New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux [ 13]     2005: Vingt-Deux Poèmes  (French translation by Claire Malroux), Paris: Yvon Lambert [ 14]     2003: Middle Earth , New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux [ 15]     1998: The Visible Man , New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux [ 16]     1995: The Look of Things  [ 17]     1989: The Zoo Wheel of Knowledge  [ 18]     1986: The Marble Queen  [ 19]     Books of prose 2020: باريس الأورفيّة: السّياحة الأدبية في باريس  (Orphic Paris , Arabic translation by Amani Lazar), United Arab Emirates: Rewayat Books [ 20]     2018: Orphic Paris , New York, New York Review Books [ 21]     2018: Paris-Orphée   (French translation by Claire Malroux), Paris: Le bruit du temps [ 22]     Awards and honors 2021 —  James Merrill House , Writer-in-Residence 2017 —  American Academy of Arts and Letters , Elected Member 2016 —  American Academy of Arts and Letters , Award of Merit Medal in Poetry [ 23]     2014 —  Radcliffe Institute  for Advanced Study at Harvard, Fellow [ 24]     2012 —  The Thom Gunn Award  for Poetry for Touch , [ 25]     Publishing Triangle 2012 —  The Jackson Poetry Prize , Poets & Writers [ 26]     2011 —  Harvard University Phi Beta Kappa  poet [ 27]     2011 —  Finalist, Los Angeles Times Book Award  in Poetry for Pierce the Skin (Selected Poems 1982-2007)  [ 28]     2010 —  American Academy of Arts & Sciences , elected member [ 29]     2009 —  Sara Teasdale Award in Poetry, Wellesley College 2009 —  National Endowment for the Arts  Literature Fellowship 2008 —  Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize  for Blackbird and Wolf , Academy of American Poets [ 30]     2008 —  Ambassador Book Award  in Poetry for Blackbird and Wolf , English-Speaking Union of the United States [ 31]     2008 —  Massachusetts Book Award  in Poetry for Blackbird and Wolf  [ 32]     2008 —  Lambda Literary Award  in Poetry for Blackbird and Wolf  [ 33]     2007 —  United States Artists  USA Hildreth/Williams Fellow, Literature [ 34]     2004 —  Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award  for Middle Earth  [ 35]     2004 —  John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation  Fellowship [ 36]     2004 —  Award in Literature, American Academy of Arts and Letters   [ 37]     2004 —  Finalist, Pulitzer Prize  in Poetry for Middle Earth  [ 38]     2004 —  Finalist, Los Angeles Times Book Award  in Poetry for  Middle Earth  [ 39]     2004 —  Massachusetts Book Award  in Poetry for Middle Earth  [ 40]     2001 —  Japan-United States Friendship Commission , Creative Artist Fellowship [ 41]     2000 —  Berlin Prize , American Academy in Berlin   [ 42]     1995 —  Rome Prize  in Literature, American Academy of Arts and Letters [ 43]     1993 —  National Endowment for the Arts  Literature Fellowship [ 44]     1989 —  Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship   [ 45]     1985 —  Ingram Merrill Foundation  Award (also 1990) [ 46]     Personal life Cole is openly gay, though in his early work he turned to "nature as a mask for writing about private feelings." [ 47]     He came out as he "felt a need to speak as a gay man, since until recently we were not encouraged by society to love one another, marry, and have children. So if I have an ethics, it is simply to be true, but never at the expense of original language." [ 48]    
References  ↑     Lydon, Christopher (December 2009). "Out of Yearning, Order: Henri Cole's poetry" . The Huffington Post . Retrieved 2012-07-03  .  ↑      "About Henri Cole |  Academy of American Poets" .  ↑      "Jenny Holzer collaborations" . art21.org . Art21. Retrieved 26 April  2015 .  ↑      "Blizzard" . Macmillan . Retrieved 20 April  2020 .  ↑      "Nothing to Declare" . Macmillan . Archived from the original  on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 14 April  2015 .  ↑      "Le Merle, Le Loup" . Le bruit du temps . Retrieved 14 April  2015 .  ↑      "Touch" . Macmillan . Retrieved 14 April  2015 .  ↑      "Terre Mediane" . Le bruit du temps . Retrieved 14 April  2015 .  ↑      "Mirlo y Lobo" . Culturamas . 18 December 2010. Retrieved 15 April  2015 .  ↑      "Autoitratto con Gatti" . Guanda Editore . Archived from the original  on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-04-15  .  ↑      "Pierce the Skin" . Macmillan . Retrieved 14 April  2015 .  ↑      "La Apariencia de la Cosas" . Casa del Libro . 6 April 2009. Retrieved 15 April  2015 .  ↑      "Blackbird and Wolf" . Macmillan . Archived from the original  on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 15 April  2015 .  ↑      "Vingt-Deux Poems" . lesoressesdureel.com . Les presses du reel. Retrieved 17 April  2015 .  ↑      "Middle Earth" . Macmillan . Archived from the original  on 26 July 2018. Retrieved 15 April  2015 .  ↑      "The Visible Man" . Macmillan . Archived from the original  on 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2015-04-15  .  ↑     Cole, Henri (1995). The Look of Things . A.A. Knopf. ISBN     067943352X  .  ↑      "The Zoo Wheel of Knowledge" . goodreads.com . Good Reads. 1989. Retrieved 17 April  2015 .  ↑      "The Marble Queen" . goodreads.com . Good Reads. 1986. Retrieved 17 April  2015 .  ↑      "Orphic Paris"  . Retrieved 20 April  2020 .  ↑      "Orphic Paris" . New York Review Books . 3 April 2018. Retrieved 29 December  2018 .  ↑      "Paris-Orphée" . Le bruit du temps . Retrieved 29 December  2018 .  ↑      "American Academy of Arts and Letters"  (PDF) . American Academy of Arts and Letters . Archived from the original  (PDF)  on 17 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April  2016 .  ↑      "Fellow" . Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study . Retrieved 14 April  2015 .  ↑      " "Publishing Triangle Winners Unveiled", GalleyCat , 04/20/2012" . Archived from the original  on April 26, 2012.  ↑      "Jackson Poetry Prize" . Poets & Writers . 12 February 2008. Retrieved 14 April  2015 .  ↑      "Phi Beta Kappa Poet" . Harvard Magazine . 24 May 2011. Retrieved 15 April  2015 .  ↑      "LA Times Book Award" .  Los Angeles Times   . Archived from the original  on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 17 April  2015 .  ↑      "Academy of Arts and Sciences"  (PDF) . amacad.org . American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 15 April  2015 .  ↑      "Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize" . poets.org . Academy of American Poets. Retrieved 16 April  2015 .  ↑      Ambassador Book Award    ↑      "Massachusetts Book Award" . yumpu.com . Massachusetts Center for the Book. Retrieved 16 April  2015 .  ↑      "Lambda Literary Award" . lambdaliterary.org . Lambda Literary Awards. 30 April 2007. Retrieved 16 April  2015 .  ↑      "United States Artists Fellowship" . unitedstatesartists.org . United States Artists. Archived from the original  on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April  2015 .  ↑     Hennessy, Christopher (May 2005). "An Interview by Christopher Hennessy" . American Poetry Review. Retrieved 2010-07-12  .  ↑      "Guggenheim Fellowship" . gf.org . John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Archived from the original  on 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2015-04-16  .  ↑      "Award in Literature" . artsandletters.org . American Academy of Arts and Letters. Archived from the original  on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April  2015 .  ↑      "Pulitzer" . pulitzer.org . Pulitzer. Retrieved 15 April  2015 .  ↑      "LA Times Book Award" .  Los Angeles Times   . Archived from the original  on 2015-09-22.  ↑      "Massachusetts Book Award" . bpl.org . Boston Public Library. Archived from the original  on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April  2015 .  ↑      "Japan Fellowship" . jusfc.gov . Japan-United States Friendship Commission. Retrieved 16 April  2015 .  ↑      "Berlin Prize" . americanacademy.de . American Academy in Berlin. Archived from the original  on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April  2015 .  ↑      "Rome Prize" .  The New York Times   . 22 April 1995.  ↑      "NEA Fellowship"  (PDF) . arts.gov . National Endowment for the Arts.  ↑      "Amy Lowell Poetry Travelling Scholarship" . amylowell.org . Choate, Hall & Stewart. Retrieved 16 April  2015 .  ↑      Ingram Merrill Foundation    ↑     Weiss, Sasha (2014). "Henri Cole, The Art of Poetry No. 98" . The Paris Review . Vol.  Summer 2014, no.  209. ISSN     0031-2037  . Retrieved 2018-04-11  .  ↑     Weiss, Interviewed by Sasha (2014). "The Art of Poetry No. 98" . Vol.  Summer 2014, no.  209. ISSN     0031-2037  . Retrieved 2022-10-19  . External links 
International National Academics People Other 
This page is based on this 
Wikipedia article  Text is available under the 
CC BY-SA 4.0  license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.