Ellen Bass

Ellen Bass’s poetry books include, Indigo (Copper Canyon Press, 2020), Like a Beggar (Copper Canyon, 2014), The Human Line (Copper Canyon, 2007), and Mules of Love (BOA, 2002). She co-edited with Florence Howe the first major anthology of women’s poetry, No More Masks! (Doubleday, 1973). Her poems have frequently appeared in The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, and many other journals. Among her honors are Fellowships from the NEA and the California Arts Council, The Lambda Literary Award, and three Pushcart Prizes. Bass is also coauthor of The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (HarperCollins, 1988) and Free Your Mind: The Book for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youth and Their Allies (HarperCollins, 1996). Bass founded poetry workshops at Salinas Valley State Prison and at the Santa Cruz County jails, and she teaches in the MFA program in writing at Pacific University. She is currently serving as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.

Photo Credit: Irene Young