January Gill O’Neil

January Gill O’Neil is an award-winning poet and Associate Professor of English at Salem State University. She has authored four poetry collections: Glitter Road (2024), Rewilding (2018), Misery Islands (2014), and Underlife (2009). Her work examines intersections of race, gender, and motherhood in contemporary America.

• Educated at Old Dominion University (BA) and New York University (MFA)
• 2019–2020 John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence at University of Mississippi
• Current board chair of Association of Writers and Writing Programs (2022–23)

Her poetry explores ecopoetry, racial identity, and domestic narratives, often blending personal experience with social commentary. Recent works examine environmental degradation in New England and intersectional Black womanhood.

O’Neil has received recognition including the Paterson Award for Literary Excellence, Cave Canem fellowships, and Massachusetts Cultural Council grants. Her work appears in prestigious venues like The New York Times Magazine, American Poetry Review, and Poem-A-Day.

As former executive director of the Massachusetts Poetry Festival (2012–2018), she championed literary community-building. Currently residing in Beverly, Massachusetts, her academic and creative work bridges pedagogy, contemporary poetry, and cultural preservation.