Tony Hoagland

Tony Hoagland (1953 - 2018) explored the spiritual bereftness of American satisfaction, creating poetry that was scathing, funny, rich, and refreshing. The American Academy of Arts and Letters praised his work, stating, “Tony Hoagland’s imagination ranges thrillingly across manners, morals, sexual doings, kinds of speech both lyrical and candid, intimate as well as wild.” His books included Sweet Ruin and What Narcissism Means to Me, as well as a collection of essays about poetry called Real Sofistikashun: Essays on Poetry and Craft. Hoagland received the 2005 Mark Twain Award, given by the Poetry Foundation in recognition of his contribution to humor in American poetry.