Carnegie Mellon University
January 25, 2011

News Brief: "Lighthead" Honors Continue

The National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) announced Monday, Jan. 24, that Terrance Hayes' latest book of poetry, "Lighthead," is a finalist for its 2010 awards. The NBCC awards honor the best literature published in English in six categories — autobiography, biography, criticism, fiction, nonfiction and poetry.

Last November, Hayes, a professor in the Department of English's Creative Writing Program, won a National Book Award for "Lighthead" — becoming the first CMU professor to win the coveted award.

In "Lighthead," Hayes combines different poetry styles, including the Japanese presentation format Pecha Kucha, to tell personal, political and historical stories. In a starred, or prominently featured, review, Publishers Weekly praised Hayes for Lighthead's "sly, twisting, hip, jazzy poems his fans have come to expect, but also with a new somberness of tone and mature caution."

Also nominated in the NBCC poetry category are former U.S. poet laureate Kay Ryan for "The Best of It;" Anne Carson for "Nox;" and C.D. Wright for "One with Others."

The winners will be announced at the annual NBCC awards ceremony on March 10, 2011 in New York City.

For more information:

Shilo Raube