George Wallace

Poet

Northport, NY
New York US

Author's Bio

George Wallace is Writer in Residence at the Walt Whitman Birthplace, first poet laureate of Suffolk County, LI NY, author of 40 books and chapbooks of poetry, published in the US, UK, Italy, Macedonia and India, and a spoken word performer with five albums of his work released.

A prominent figure on the NYC poetry performance scene, he travels internationally to perform, lead writing workshops, and lecture on literary topics.

A former student of W.D. Snodgrass (BA, Syracuse U) and Marvin Bell (MFA, Pacific U), he teaches writing at Pace University (NYC) and Westchester Community College, and has done research residencies at Harvard's Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington DC. He has worked as a Peace Corps volunteer, health care administrator, community organizer, community journalist, active duty medical military officer and local historian. His work is collected at the Special Sections Collection, LI Studies Institute, Hofstra University.

George is editor of Poetrybay.com, co-editor of Great Weather for Media, and editor of Long Island Quarterly and Walt's Corner, a weekly poetry column in The Long Islander, a community newspaper founded by Walt Whitman in 1838. He is editor of the 2022 Blue Light Press Anthology 'FROM THE INSIDE: NYC through the eyes of the poets who live here', and creator of POETS BUILDING BRIDGES: A Triangulation Project, pairing groups of poets worldwide in zoom sessions hosted by the Walt Whitman Birthplace. 

In 2023 he launched Radiopoet!que, which surveys poetry in popular music across the globe, as well as providing a blog review of radio shows and podcasts in the US that feature poetry.

PERFORMANCES AND APPEARANCES: About: Contemporary poetry by George Wallace and Tassos Denegris, Skiathos Writers Retreat, Bageion/Athens (GR); Centro Studii Archivio Occidentali, University of Parma, Castle Brunneberg, Ogradek Books (IT); International Festival of Poetry Ditet e Naimit/Tetova, Cultural Information Center/Skopje (MK), Orpheus Festival/Plovdiv (BG), Pogradec Town Hall (AB); Festival d'Avignon (FR); Turrialba Poetry Festival (CR); Ledbury Festival/Ledbury, Words By Water/Keswick, Dylan Thomas Centre/Swansea, Robert Burns Centre/Dumfries, Hoadfest/Ulverston, Maddy Prior Stone Barn/Bewcastle, Brantwood/Coniston (GB); Howlfest, Insomniacathon, Dada Maintenant, Bitter End/Charles Bukowski Celebration; Lyric Recovery/Carnegie Hall, What Saves Us/Lincoln Center, Bilingual Poetry/Tompkins Sq Library (NYC); Moby Dick Marathon/Sag Harbor, Pollock-Krasner House/Springs, Bradstock/West Sayville, da levy Festival/Cleveland, Festival Ecstatique/Northampton, William Carlos Williams Center/Rutherford, Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Festival, Woody Guthrie Festival/Okemah, Beat Museum/SF, Gordon Parks Museum/Fort Scott, Mabel Dodge Luhan House/Taos, Teatro Paraguas/Santa Fe, Church of Beethoven/Albuquerque, Sapphofest/Washington, Poetry Throwdown/KC, Beat Poetry Festival/Middletown, Song Of Myself Marathon/Brooklyn, Gemini Ink Writers/San Antonio; Sparring with Beatnik Ghosts/Santa Cruz, Beat Museum/SF, Beyond Baroque/LA, Dongguk University/LA, Corners of the Mouth/SLO, Rubber Chicken Poetry Slam/Monterey, John Steinbeck Festival/Salinas (US).

Publications & Prizes

Anthologies:
Stronger Than Fear (Cave Moon Press, 2022)
,
What Saves Us: Poems of Empathy and Outrage in the Age of Trump (Northwestern University Press, 2019)
,
Maintenant: Dada Journal (Three Rooms Press, 2018)
,
BE-AT Poets Laureate (Local Gems Poetry Press, 2017)
,
Cloudburst: Poetry Anthology of the Cloudburst Council, 2012-2016 (Foothills Publishing, 2017)
,
From Somewhere to Nowhere: The End of the American Dream (AK Press, 2017)
,
Oct Tongue 2 (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2017)
,
Poetry of Resistance Voices for Social Justice (University of Arizona Press, 2016)
,
Rabbit Ears: An Anthology of TV Poems (NYQ Books, 2015)
,
Say It Loud - Poems About James Brown (Whirlwind Press, 2011)
,
Greatest Hits (Pudding House Publications, 2003)
Books:
Resurrection Song (Roadside Press, 2023)
,
Blowing Thru Secaucus (Roadside Press, 2022)
,
Resistance is a blue Spanish guitar (Blue Light Press, 2021)
,
I Feed the Flames and the Flames Feed Me (Local Gems Press, 2019)
,
Sacred Language of Wine and Bread (La Finestra Editrice, 2019)
,
One Hundred Years Among The Daisies (Spartan Press, 2018)
,
The Sulphur of Troy / Lo Zolfo di Troia (La Finestra Editrice, 2018)
,
Smashing Rock And Straight As Razors (Blue Light Press, 2017)
,
A Simple Blues With A Few Intangibles (Foothills Publishing, 2016)
,
Drugged By Hollywood (NightBallet Press, 2016)
,
Beauty Parlors, Trainyards and Everything In Between (Spartan Press, 2014)
,
Belt Buckles and Bibles (NightBallet Press, 2013)
,
Riding With Boom Boom (NightBallet Press, 2013)
,
EOS: Abductor of Men (Three Rooms Press, 2012)
,
Incident on the Orient Express (Nirala Publications, New Delhi, India, 2012)
,
Sleeping Beauty's Revenge (NightBallet Press, 2012)
,
The Hard Stuff (NightBallet Press, 2012)
,
Jumping Over The Moon (Boone's Dock Press, 2011)
,
Poppin Johnny (Three Rooms Press, 2009)
,
Summer Of Love, Summer Of Love (Shivastan Press, 2008)
,
Sunny Side Up The Dream Cloud Egg (Good Japan Press, 2008)
,
Who's Handling Your Aubergines (Green Panda Press, 2008)
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Wrestling Godzilla (Green Panda Press, 2007)
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When I Was Dead (Flarestack Publishing U.K., 2006)
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After The Fall (Butcher Shop Press, 2005)
,
50 Love Poems / 50 Poesie D'Amore (La Finestra Editrice, 2004)
,
Burn My Heart In Wet Sand (Troubadour, 2004)
,
Without Benefit Of Men (Chlenskiy Publishing, 2004)
,
Swimming Through Water / Nuotando Attraverso L'Aqua (La Finestra Editrice, 2003)
,
Poems of Augie Prime (Writers Ink Press, 1999)
,
Tales of a Yuppie Dropout (Writers Ink Press, 1992)
,
The Milking Jug (Cross-Cultural Communications, 1989)
Chapbook:
Sacred Language of Wine and Bread (La Finestra Editrice, 2020)
Journals:
Big Bridge
, ,
Cezanne's Carrot
, ,
Cultural Weekly
,
Home Planet News
,
Jacket
,
Levure Litteraire
,
Lips
,
Maintenant
, ,
Rialto
,
RUNES
,
Rusty Truck
, , , ,
String Poet
,
The Nervous Breakdown
,
Words Dance
Prizes won: 

Writer in Residence, Walt Whitman Birthplace 2011-Present.

New Generation Beat Poet Laureate, 2021-Lifetime, National Beat Poetry Foundation, inc.

Chameau d'Or Prize (Silk Road International Poetry Festival) 2023. Poet of the year (Boao International Poetry Festival CA) 2022. Corona d'oro (Korca Literary Festival AB) 2019. Orpheus Prize (Orpheus Festival, BG) 2018. Alexander the Great Gold Medal (UNESCO-Salamis, GR) 2018. Centro Studii Archivio d'Occidente Award (CSAO, It) 2018. Naim Frasheri Prize and Festival Laureate (Ditet e Naimit Festival, MK) 2017.

Blue Light Book Award 2017. ŸLaureate, National Beat Poetry Festival 2015-16.  First Poet Laureate, Suffolk County LI NY 2005-05. Poetry Kit Best Book Award, 2004. CW Post Poetry Prize 1999.

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
Greek American
Born in: 
Hempstead, NY
New York
Raised in: 
Huntington, NY
New York
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Oct 25, 2023