Native Virginian and University alumna Claudia Emerson recently finished her term as Poet Laureate of Virginia in 2010. This extraordinary poetess first became associated with the University when she received her undergraduate degree in English in 1979, and eventually went on to teach at the University's former sister college, the University of Mary Washington. Emerson's long list of accolades include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Academy of American Poets Prize and most notably the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for her work Late Wife, a complicated journey of introspection and loss that results in a settling conclusion of rebirth and satisfaction. Apart from her other three books of poetry, Emerson has also been featured in several anthologies. Staying true to her local roots, Emerson currently resides in Fredericksburg, Va. Emerson most recently visited Charlottesville last Wednesday to read selections from her work as a Rea Visiting Lecturer, a program sponsored by the Creative Writing Program at the University.
-compiled by Erin Abdelrazaq and Kevin Vincenti