Benjamin Saltman (September 7, 1927 – January 9, 1999) was an American poet and Professor of verse writing and contemporary American literature at
California State University, Northridge.[1][2]
The Benjamin Saltman Poetry Award[3] is given annually by
Red Hen Press in his honor.[4]
Biography
Saltman was born in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the youngest son of Russian-Jewish (Ukrainian) immigrants. He earned a B.A. from the
University of Pittsburgh in 1952 and an M.A. in creative writing from
San Francisco State University in 1959. After graduation he took a job at
Sierra College near
Auburn, California where he, along with around seven students, started a literary magazine named Viewpoint.[5] He taught for one year at
Sierra College before joining his friend
Alvin Duskin as a teacher at the experimental college, Emerson, in
Pacific Grove, Ca.[5] From 1965–67 he was an Instructor of Humanities at
Harvey Mudd College.[6] In 1967 he received a Ph.D. from
Claremont Graduate School where he wrote his doctoral thesis "The Descent to God: Religious Language in Several Contemporary American Poets". At Claremont Ben Saltman became good friends with poet
Bert Meyers, whose friendship and encouragement inspired him to start writing poetry seriously.[5]
Benjamin Saltman married Helen Saltman in 1968, they have three children and six grandchildren.[7]
Career
Saltman was the recipient of two literature fellowships from the
National Endowment for the Arts in 1969 and 1987.[8] In 1992, after retiring, he volunteered to teach at California State University Northridge for free after state budget cuts caused the school to cancel 1,000 courses previously scheduled for the fall semester.[9][10][11]
“Winters and Winters,” Perspective, 17 (Spring, 1975), p. 256-257.
“In the Country,” “The Art of Kurt Gerron,” Invisible City, 18-20 (October, 1976), p. 8.
“Snowpath,” Ironwood, 4 (1976), p. 94.
“Deck: King of Clubs,” Poetry Northwest, 19 (Spring, 1976), p. 23.
“Fourteen Poems from Deck,” Bachy, 11 (1978), p. 56-62.
“Deck: Five of Diamonds,” Ironwood, 6 (1978), p. 76.
“The Moth,” “Ponies During the Tujunga Fire,” “Only the Dark Green Tree,” “The Miscarriage,” Beyond Baroque, 10 (Summer, 1979), p. 22-23.
“A Good Brick House in Wood County,” “Taking the Body Back,” Gramercy Review, 3 (Winter, 1979), p. 48-49.
“Like Peaches,” “A Cool Place,” “Grass Where the Dead Walk Quietly,” “Cauliflower,” “Forgiveness During a Walk on Prospect Street,” “Killing a Bird on the Way to Toledo,” Bachy, 17 (1980), p. 92-94.
“The Sun Takes Us Away,” Southern Poetry Review, 22 (Spring, 1982), p. 2.