January 08, 2004
Joseph publishes fifth collection of poetry
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A Southern Illinois University Carbondale writer described by her publisher as "one of the leading poets of her young generation" has come out with her fifth collection of poetry.
Allison E. Joseph's "Worldly Pleasures," published by Word Press, appeared at the tag-end of last year, just eight short months after Carnegie-Mellon University Press published her fourth book, "Imitation of Life."
Joseph's first collection, "What Keeps Us Here," issued in 1992, won the John C. Zacharis First Book Prize. She also had a two-volume year in 1997, publishing both "Soul Train" and "In Every Seam."
Last year, Joseph won six writing awards and earned recognition from the Illinois Arts Council and the Bread Loaf and Sewanee writers' conferences as well.
Joseph, who joined SIUC's creative writing faculty in 1994, also edits its literary journal, the Crab Orchard Review. In addition, she set up and runs the University's annual summer workshop for high school writers. Joseph earned her bachelor's degree from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in 1988 and her master's in fine arts from Indiana University in 1992.
Leading in research, scholarly and creative activities is among the goals of Southern at 150, the blueprint for the long-range development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.
Readers who would like to sample Joseph's work can find her poetry online at http://www.word-press.com/joseph_poems.htm. To read a profile of her and her work, visit the Perspectives Web site, SIUC's online chronicle of faculty research and creative activity, athttp://www.siu.edu/~perspect/03_sp/joseph.html.