Scalapino, Leslie.

Leslie Scalapino (1947-2010) is a California Bay Area poet, scholar, experimental prose writer associated with the "Language School" poetry movement, and founding editor of O Books (Oakland, Calif.). At an early age, she traveled throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe, and her later work reflects some of these influences, including meditation on Zen writing and Tibetan philosophy. Her work has been published in many poetry and academic journals since the 1970s. Her awards include the Poetry Center Award, Lawrence Lipton Prize, and the American Book Award. In 1986, Scalapino founded O Books as a publishing outlet for younger and emerging writers, although she often publishes more established poets; as of 2007, O Books has published close to one hundred contemporary poetry books. Scalapino has served as a faculty member at San Francisco State University, the San Francisco Art Institute, the Naropa Institute, and Bard College. She died in Berkeley, California on May 28, 2010.

Biography

Leslie Scalapino was born in Santa Barbara, California, in 1944 to singer Dee Jessen and political science professor Robert Scalapino, founder of UC Berkeley's Institute for Asian Studies. Because of her father's academic focus in the politics of Asia, Scalapino traveled thoughout Asia, Africa, and Europe at an early age. Her later work reflects some influence from these travels including meditation on Zen writing and Tibetan philosophy. In the 1960s, she attended Reed College, graduating in 1966. Her graduate studies in writing continued at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a M.A. in English (1969), after which she began to focus on writing poetry.

Scalapino's work evokes radical reaction to the human condition beyond the traditional means of expression. Her work is metaphorically often compared to Gertrude Stein and the experimental poetry associated with the Language poets.* Unbound by a single format, she published poetry, fiction, critical essays, and plays.

Her work has been published in many poetry and academic journals since the 1970s, and she participated in numerous conferences, including the Page Mothers Conference held at UCSD in 1999, that explored innovative writing by American women. Her long poem titled Way won the Poetry Center Award, the Lawrence Lipton Prize, and the American Book Award in 1989.

In 1986, Scalapino founded O Books, which operated out of Oakland, as a publishing outlet for younger and emerging writers, but also for prominent writers such as Alice Notley, Robert Grenier, Fanny Howe, Carla Harryman, and Tom Raworth. Her self-published works with O Books include Crowd and Not Evening or Light: A Poem (1992) and War and Peace 3 (2007) with Judith Goldman. As a press, O Books has published nearly a hundred contemporary poetry books.

Scalapino served as a faculty member at San Francisco State University, Mills College, University of California, San Diego, the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, the San Francisco Art Institute, the Naropa Institute, and Bard College.

Leslie Scalapino died on May 28th, 2010. A memorial was held for her on July 1st, 2010 at The Green Dragon Temple, Green Gulch Farm in San Francisco.

*From Cohen, Alicia, "Leslie Scalapino 1947 -, " Encyclopedia of American Poetry: The Twentieth Century, 1st ed. (Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, 2001), 647-648.