Neil Aitken (born 1974 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian poet, editor, and translator. He founded Boxcar Poetry Review.[1][2] His first book, The Lost Country of Sight, won the 2007 Philip Levine Prize for Poetry.[3][4]
Neil Aitken | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | Poet, editor, and translator |
Biography
Early life and education
Aitken was born in Vancouver in 1974[5] and was raised in Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Canada, and the United States.[1][6] His father was of Scottish and English descent and his mother was of Chinese descent.[7] He had a younger sister.[7] He attended elementary and secondary school in Regina.[7] Throughout high school, he enjoyed painting.[8] As an undergraduate, he studied Computer Engineering with a minor in Mathematics.[7]
He worked as a computer games programmer for several years.[7] In 2004, he quit his position to study at the University of California, Riverside, where he earned an MFA.[7] He earned a PhD in Literature & Creative Writing from the University of Southern California.[9]
Literature career
Aitken's first book, The Lost Country of Sight, won the 2007 Philip Levine Prize.[3] In 2016, he published Babbage’s Dream, a semi-finalist for the Anthony Hecht Prize.[9] He founded Boxcar Poetry Review.[1] Aitken and Chinese poet-translator Ming Di translated The Book of Cranes: Selected Poems of Zang Di.[9] In 2011, Aitken was awarded the DJS Translation Prize for "his translations of contemporary Chinese poetry."[9]
