Gil Ott

Gilbert Frederic Ott (1950–2004) was an American poet, writer, and publisher.

A widely published essayist and poet, he founded and directed Singing Horse Press. The journal "Paper Air", edited by Ott and published from 1976 through 1990, was the recipient of an Editors' Award from the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses in 1985. Ott's own writing won several awards, including fellowships from the Headlands Center for the Arts (California), and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

He published several books of poetry, including "The Yellow Floor" (Sun & Moon, 1985)," within range" (Burning Deck, 1987), "Public Domain" (Potes & Poets, 1989), "The Whole Note," and "Traffic"(Chax Press). Essays focusing on the role of the arts in social change have appeared in "American Poetry Review", "High Performance", American News Service, M/E/A/N/I/N/G, "The Philadelphia Inquirer", "Cultural Democracy", and others.

From 1981 through 1995, Ott worked at Philadelphia's Painted Bride Art Center, creating an extensive network of community-based arts and educational collaborations. He served as the first Director of Development for Liberty Resources, a consumer-run organization that advocates for the rights of people with disabilities. He also served on the Boards of Directors of the Community Education Center and Point Breeze Performing Arts Center. In total, Ott worked for more than twenty years as a professional in the field of cultural and community-based nonprofit management.

Chax Press has published a volume of criticism and commentary on Ott's work, "The Form of Our Uncertainty," edited by Kristen Gallagher. The press currently publishes an annual book series in memory of Ott called the Gil Ott Award, which is edited by Charles Alexander, Eli Goldblatt, Myung Mi Kim, and Nathaniel Mackey. The first volume to be published in this series is Since I Moved In, by Tim Peterson.

He lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with his wife, poet and educator Julia Blumenreich and their daughter Willa Ott. Ott struggled with kidney disease and its complications for nearly thirty years and died in 2004.