Poet Albert Goldbarth was born on January 31, 1948 in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a B.A. in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle in 1969 and a M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Iowa in 1971. Goldbarth began a long teaching career in 1971 at Elgin (Illinois) Community College. His first book of poetry, Coprolites, was published in 1973, followed by Jan. 31 (which was nominated in 1975 for the National Book Award), and Opticks in 1974. Also in 1974, Goldbarth began work towards a doctorate in Creative Writing at the University of Utah. Continuing to write and publish poetry throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Goldbarth won two National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowships (1979-1980, 1986-1987), a Guggenheim Fellowship (1984), and two Voertman Poetry Awards from the Texas Institute of Letters (for Different Fleshes in 1980 and for Original Light in 1984). Goldbarth has taught English at Cornell University (1974-1976), Syracuse University (1976-1977), University of Texas at Austin (1977-1987), and at Wichita State University (1987-present).
From the guide to the Albert Goldbarth Papers Collection 016., undated, (Southwestern Writers Collection, Special Collections, Alkek Library, Texas State University-San Marcos)
