Aliki Barnstone

Aliki Barnstone is a Professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Missouri, affiliated with the Women’s and Gender Studies Department. She served as Missouri’s Poet Laureate from 2016 to 2019. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley (1995), and earlier degrees from Brown University and Middlebury College.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley (English, 1995)
  • A.M., Brown University (English, 1983)
  • A.B., Brown University (Semiotics, 1980)

Research & Teaching Interests: Creative Writing (poetry, non-fiction), Modern and Contemporary Poetry, Translation, Emily Dickinson, Women’s Literature, Jewish Studies (Holocaust Literature), and Poetry & Visual Art. She has led international workshops in Greece and co-directed the Summer Seminars in Greece.

Publications: Over 30 books, including Dwelling (2016), Bright Body (2011), and translations such as Cavafy’s poetry. Her work bridges literary criticism and creative output, with a focus on spirituality, gender, and cultural identity.

• Awards:
  • Senior Fulbright Scholar (2023, 2006)
  • Nevada Writers Hall of Fame (2004)
  • Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship (1998)

Advising & Grants: Chair and member of numerous Ph.D. committees at MU. Secured grants for research on translation, Holocaust themes, and interdisciplinary projects. Funded readings and lectures by prominent writers.

Labs/Teams: Editor of the Cliff Becker Book Award in Translation and contributor to Red Rock Review. Collaborates on visual art projects, including cover art for poetry collections.