Christopher Bursk


Christopher Bursk is an American poet, professor and activist. He is the author of nine poetry collections, including The First Inhabitants of Arcadia published by the, praised by The New York Times which said, "Bursk writes with verve and insight about child rearing, aging parents, sexuality, his literary heroes, the sexuality of his literary heroes."

Life

Bursk was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and received a B.A. from Tufts University, an MFA from Warren Wilson College and an MA and a PhD from Boston University. He lives in Langhorne Manor, Pennsylvania, and teaches at Bucks County Community College. He and his wife, Mary Ann, have three children: Christian, Norabeth, and Justin.
His poems have been published in literary journals and magazines including Paris Review, The American Poetry Review and Manhattan Review, and in anthologies including The Mysterious Life of the Heart: Writing from The Sun About Passion, Longing, and Love, and Three new poets: Christopher Bursk, William Corbett, Paul Hannigan.

Awards

Bursk's literary honors include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, 1995 Pew Foundation and Guggenheim Foundation. His awards include the Capricorn Poetry Award, the Green Rose Prize, Milton Kessler Poetry Book Award, the 49th Parallel Poetry Award and the Donald Hall Prize in Poetry. His humanitarian honors include the Bucks County Citizen of the Year award from Bucks County Community College, and the Bucks County Humanitarian of the Year award. His humanitarian activities have included working as a probation counselor, volunteering in a shelter for abused women and teaching poetry to prisoners at Bucks County Prison. He has been an advocate for the homeless and an organizer for farm workers’ rights.

Published works

Full-length poetry collections
Chapbooks