Congrats to Sheila Black

I wish to extend my happiest congratulations to my dear friend Sheila Black. Sheila was recently awarded the Witter Bynner Award by Philip Levine through the Library of Congress. Although Sheila's poetics are slightly different from mine, she has been a constant source of help and support the past few years. Sheila and I met three years ago when we decided (with Michael Northen) to edit Beauty is a Verb. Over those three years, we have had nearly a daily correspondence.

Sheila is a brilliant poet and thinker with boundless energy - in addition to being a wonderful poet, she is a successful grant writer, a mother to three amazing children with her fabulous partner Duncan (one of whom just got a nearly full scholarship to Mills College). She got us panels at AWP twice! She has been a constant support in both my poetic and personal life. She has helped countless women through her work on the Mexican border, and she is a strong disability activist.

I love you Sheila!