Barbara Louise Ungar

Poet

Saratoga Springs, NY
New York US

Author's Bio

Barbara Louise Ungar is the author of five full-length poetry collections: Save Our Ship won Ashland Poetry Press's Snyder Award in 2018 and was named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2019. Immortal Medusa was named to Kirkus Reviews' Best  Books of 2015 and was co-winner of the Adirondack Center for Writing Poetry Award. Charlotte Brontë, You Ruined My Life was chosen for The Word Works' Hilary Tham Collection. The Origin of the Milky Way won the Gival Press Poetry Award, an Independent Publisher's Award, the Adirondack Center for Writing Poetry Award, and an Eric Hoffer Award. She is also the author of Haiku in English and several chapbooks. Her poems have appeared in many journals, including the Southern Indiana Review, Rattle, Salmagundi, The Minnesota Review, Cream City Review, Literary Review, Atticus Review, and The Nervous Breakdown. She has work forthcoming in Scientific American, Cutthroat, Gargoyle, and Modern Haiku. She has performed widely, including at the Dodge Poetry Festival, the Poetry Society of America, Poets' House, St. Mark's Poetry Project, Nuyorican Poets' Café, Center for Book Arts, Couplet, and Cornelia St. Café. A professor of English at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY, she lives in Saratoga Springs. For more information, please see www.barbaraungar.net.

Publications & Prizes

Books:
Save Our Ship (Ashland Poetry Press, 2019)
,
Immortal Medusa (Word Works, 2015)
,
Charlotte Brontë, You Ruined My Life (Word Works, 2011)
,
The Origin of the Milky Way (Gival Press, 2007)
,
Thrift (WordTech Editions, 2005)
Chapbooks:
EDGE (Ethel, 2020)
,
Sequel (Finishing Line Press, 2004)
,
Neoclassical Barbara (Angel Fish Press, 1998)
Prizes won: 

Save Our Ship: Independent Publisher Award 2020; Ben Franklin Award 2020; named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2019; Richard Snyder Memorial Prize 2018. Immortal Medusa: Adirondack Center for Writing Best Poetry Book 2015 (co-winner); named to Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2015. Charlotte Brontë, You Ruined My Life: National Poetry Series finalist 2009; Sarabande Books' Morton Prize finalist 2009. The Origin of the Milky Way: Gival Press Poetry Prize 2006; Silver Independent Publishers' Award 2007; Adirondack Center for Writing Best Poetry Book 2007 (co-winner); Eric Hoffer Notable for Poetry Award 2007. 

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
Too many to list, but current loves are Mary Ruefle, Regan Good, Elena Ferrante, Lily King, Penelope Fitzgerald, and Elizabeth Strout.
What I'm reading now: 
My Private Property by Mary Ruefle, The Needle by , Euphoria by Lily King, The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante, Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh, Oh William by Elizabeth Strout

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Born in: 
Worcester, MA
Massachusetts
Raised in: 
Minneapolis, MN
Minnesota
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: May 28, 2022