James Longenbach

James Longenbach was the Joseph H. Gilmore Professor of English at the University of Rochester, renowned for his contributions to poetry, literary criticism, and modernist studies. He held a PhD from Princeton University and joined the University of Rochester faculty in 1985, eventually becoming a tenured professor and named chairholder. His work blended poetic creativity with scholarly rigor, exploring figures like T.S. Eliot, W.B. Yeats, and Wallace Stevens, while advancing theories on lyric poetry and modernist poetics.

Longenbach authored six poetry collections, including Forever (2021), and six critical works such as How Poems Get Made (2018). He received accolades like the Guggenheim Fellowship and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. As an educator, he mentored students like John Palattella and Ilya Kaminsky, emphasizing close reading and poetic craft.

His interdisciplinary interests spanned music, with his lyric sensibilities influencing collaborations in music theory. Married to novelist Joanna Scott, their shared intellectual partnership enriched their literary works, often reflecting themes of permanence and transience. Longenbach’s legacy lies in his transformative teaching, prolific scholarship, and the enduring beauty of his poetry.