Draft:Brian Foley

Brian Foley

Brian Foley (born January 23rd, 1982) is an American poet and author of The Constitution and There Must Be A Reason People Come Here. In addition to two books and six chapbooks, his written work has been published in over 100 literary magazines. He currently lives in Chicago, IL and is married to the writer, Emma Hyche.

Early Life and Education

Brian Foley was born on January 23rd, 1982 in Braintree, Massachusetts. When he was two, his family moved to Brewster, Massachusetts, a town situated on Cape Cod. He attended Nauset Regional High School. Foley played in many independent rock bands, including Revenge of the Nerds, The Fleece, The Faux, King & Country and Eunuch. At this time, he also worked as a radio DJ at 92.1 WOMR,, hosting a Saturday afternoon indie rock show for several years.

Foley earned a BA in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College in 2004. During this time, he worked as independent music critic, with articles and reviews appearing in publications such as Skyscraper Magazine, Swingset Magazine and Chunklet. He served as host of The Left End, a Saturday evening independent music program, at WERS 88.9

In 2013, Foley received his MFA from the UMass Poets and Writers Program, where he worked with James Tate, Dara Wier and Peter Gizzi. In 2014 he moved to Denver to attend the University of Denver where he studied with Graham Foust, Bin Ramke, and Eleni Sikilianos, earning a Doctorate of Philosophy in 2019.

Poetry

Foley has written two collection and six chapbooks of poetry. His debut collection, "The Constitution," was released by Black Ocean in 2014. His second collection, "There Must Be A Reason People Come Here", was released by Black Ocean in 2022. Foley has also authored several chapbooks, including The Black Eye (Brave Men Press, 2010), Going Attractions (Greying Ghost Press, 2012), and TOTEM (winner of the 2011 Equinox Prize, Fact-simile Editions, 2014).

Reception

Writing for Publishers Weekly about The Constitution, poet Daniel Schoonebeek wrote "Foley's road-weary debut derives beauty from exhaustion and manages to counter, through the poems' sparseness and crispness, the kind of poetry whose raison d'être is the exhaustion of beauty". Greg Bern, writing in Poetry Northwest said of the collection," The tension between what draws us in and pushes us away animates the agonizing beauty of The Constitution. Foley’s book is more than an echo chamber or a textbook where you are invited to learn through the actions of his speaker. It is a blueprint for your own journey."

Foley was named “2015 New American Poet” by Poetry Society of America;

Literary Contributions

Foley has also curated several reading series, hosting hundreds of literary readings and events. From 2006-2009 he curated the Brookline Booksmith Writers and Readers Series. From 2009-2011 he curated The Deep Moat Reading Series, held at the Pierre Menard Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. With Elisa Gabbert and Sommer Browning, he hosted the Death Horse Reading Series in Denver, CO from 2017-2019.

From 2009-2014 he edited Brave Men Press with artist and illustrator E.B. Goodale

Foley has taught writing and literature widely at universities such as UMass Amherst, Holyoke Community College, Amherst College, Western New England University, Johnson and Wales, University of Denver, Colorado School of Mines, and Metropolitain State University of Denver.

Bibliography

Collections

• There Must Be A Reason People Come Here (Black Ocean, 2022)
• The Constitution (Black Ocean, 2014)

Chapbooks

• Puritan Landfill (Black Cake Records, 2015)
• TOTEM (winner of the 2011 Equinox Prize, Fact-simile Editions, 2014)
• Going Attractions (Greying Ghost Press, 2012)
• The Constitution (Horseless Press, 2011)
• The Black Eye (Brave Men Press, 2010),
• The Tornado is not a Surrealist (Greying Ghost, 2008),

External Links

1. Brian Foley's poem, "Amendement" at Verse Daily
2. Brian Foley author page at Black Ocean
3. Brian Foley at Poetry Society of America