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Robert Phillips (poet)

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Robert Phillips
Picture of Robert Phillips
Born1938 (1938)
Milford, Delaware
DiedJanuary 21, 2022(2022-01-21) (aged 84)
Houston, Texas
Occupationadvertising
Alma materSyracuse University
GenrePoetry, fiction, non-fiction
SpouseJudith Anne Bloomingdale
Children1

Robert Schaeffer Phillips (1938 – January 21, 2022[1]) was an American poet and professor of English at the University of Houston. He was the author or editor of more than 30 volumes of poetry, fiction, poetry criticism and other works.

Early life and education

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Phillips was born in Milford, Delaware in 1938 to Thomas Allen Phillips and Katheryn Schaeffer Phillips. He attended schools within the Milford School District. Phillips received B.A. (1960) and M.A. (1963) degrees double majoring in journalism and English literature from Syracuse University.[2][3]

Career

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After graduation, Phillips remained at Syracuse, taking a position as an Assistant Director of Admissions, which Phillips called his least interesting job because the students kept asking the same questions.[3] He also taught English.

He found an advertising job with Benton & Bowles in New York City in the 1960s and liked it because it combined his interest in writing, art, writing.[3]). He worked on accounts for Revlon, Clearasil, and Ford Motor Company. He was a copywriter and vice president with Benton & Bowles, J. Walter Thompson and BBDO. He and his wife took a position in the Dusseldorf, Germany office of Grey Global Group, where he had opportunities to travel to places like Paris and London. Eventually he returned to New York and worked at several other agencies.[1]

After work, he continued to write poetry and fiction. His first book, Inner Weather was published in 1966. He continued publishing while working in advertising, while teaching creative writing part time at the New School at nights. Eventually, he decided to teach full time.

In 1991, Phillips became a member of the creative writing faculty at the University of Houston, where he remained until his retirement in 2009.[4] He later directed the Creative Writing Program there from 1991 to 1996).[5] His predecessor was Donald Barthelme.

Phillips served as the chairman of the Poets' Prize and the Players's clubin New York City.[1]

Honors and awards

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Phillip's writings have received a Pushcart Prize, an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, a New York State Council on the Arts CAPS Grant in Poetry, MacDowell Colony and Yaddo Fellowships, a NPR Syndicated Fiction Project Award, Enron Teaching Excellence Award (1996), George Arents Pioneer Medal Award, Syracuse University's highest honor for alumni (1988),[2] and Texas Institute of Letters membership.[5]

In 1998 he was named a John and Rebecca Moores Scholar at University of Houston.[5]

Legacy

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Starting in 2001, the Texas Review in coordination with Sam Houston State University has offered an annual prize bearing Phillips' name for a distinguished poetry chapbook.[6] Starting in 2019, the award includes a $500 advance and publication with Texas A&M University Press.

A collection of Phillips's work & personal papers, the Robert S. Phillips Papers, is housed in the Special Collections Research Center of Bird Library at Syracuse University. The collection contains his correspondence, writings, and memorabilia such as programs and announcements and issues of various periodicals in which Phillips’ work appears.[2]

Personal life

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Phillips married Judith Anne Bloomingdale, whom he met in English class at Syracuse. They would eventually marry in the Hendricks Chapel.[2]

Books Published -- Poetry and Fiction

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  • Inner Weather (Golden Quill Press, 1966).
  • Moonstruck: An Anthology of Lunar Poetry. Anthology of Classic and 20th century poets. (Edited). (Vanguard Press, 1973).
  • The Land of Lost Content. Stories. (Vanguard Press, 1970)
  • Circumstances Beyond Our Control: Poems (Johns Hopkins: 2006)
  • The Pregnant Man (Doubleday, 1978) (nominated for the Pulitzer Prize)
  • Running on Empty (Doubleday, 1981)
  • Personal Accounts: New & Selected Poems 1966-1986 (Ontario Review Press, 1986). According to the preface, 1/3 of the poems are new. The earlier poems were selected from Inner Weather, Pregnant Man and Running on Empty. Some of these previously published poems have been revised since the earlier publication.[7]
  • The Wounded Angel (Brighton Press)
  • Public Landing Revisited (Story Line Press)
  • Breakdown Lane (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994)
  • Spinach Days (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000)
  • News About People You Know. Collected Stories. (Texas Review Press, 2002)
  • Now & Then: New and Selected Poems. (Ashland Poetry Press, 2009).
  • Ice House Sketches. (Texas Review Press, 2011).

Books Published - Critical Studies, Nonfiction, Works Edited

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Robert Phillips Obituary (1938 - 2022)". Houston Chronicle. January 30, 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Bernardi, Dan (2 March 2022). "Remembering Robert S. Phillips, Alumnus and Former Professor of English". Syracuse University News. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Phillips, Robert. "Robert Phillips - ABR - 2007 (Public Lecture)". Youtube. American Book Review. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Robert Phillips". uh.edu. University of Houston. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "UH Creative Writing Faculty Page: Robert Phillips". University of Houston. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  6. ^ "The Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Prize". Texas Review Press. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  7. ^ Phillips, Robert (1986). Personal accounts : new & selected poems, 1966-1986. Ontario Press. p. Author's Note. ISBN 0865380503. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
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