Modern Poetry in Translation

John E. Smelcer

Poet, Translator

Website: John E. Smelcer

John Smelcer is the award-winning author of over 40 books, published in an eclectic range of interests and disciplines. Aside from John's many novels and poetry collections, he has published books in history, mythology, anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, as well as anthologies, plays, dictionaries, screenplays, and children’s picture books. His short stories, poems, interviews, and essays - read by millions - appear in over 400 magazines and journals worldwide.

In 1995, he edited the anthology, Durable Breath: Contemporary Native American Poetry, which was taught at hundreds of colleges and universities across the USA. The anthology included poems by Sherman Alexie, Joy Harjo, James Welch, Diane Glancy, Joseph Bruchac, Simon Ortiz, Linda Hogan, Louise Erdrich, and Jim Barnes. His seminal interview "Towards Defining Native American Literature" appears in Multiethnic Literature of the United States. John was a friend and collaborator with MPT's co-founder, Ted Hughes.

John Smelcer is the editor of dictionaries of two endangered Alaska Native languages. His The Ahtna Noun Dictionary includes a foreword by Noam Chomsky. His The Alutiiq Noun Dictionary includes a foreword by H. H. The Dalai Lama.