Scott Cairns

Scott Cairns (1954 - ) is an American poet, memoirist and essayist. Born in Tacoma, Washington, he was educated at Western Washington University, Hollins College, Bowling Green State University, and the University of Utah. He is currently Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at the University of Missouri.

Cairns is the author of six collections of poetry, one collection of translations of Christian mystics, one spiritual memoir, and co-edited "The Sacred Place" with Scott Olsen, an anthology of poetry, fiction and nonfiction. He wrote the libretto for "The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp," an oratorio composed by JAC Redford. His poems have appeared in journals including "The Atlantic Monthly", "The Paris Review", "The New Republic", "Image", and "Poetry", and have been anthologized in "Upholding Mystery" (Oxford University Press, 1996), "Best Spiritual Writing" (Harper Collins, 1998 and 2000), and "Best American Spiritual Writing" (Houghton Mifflin, 2004, 2005, and 2006).

Bibliography

*"Love's Immensity: Mystics on the Endless Life" (Paraclete Press, 2007)
*"Short Trip to the Edge: Where Earth Meets Heaven—A Pilgrimage" (HarperSanFrancisco, 2007)
*"Compass of Affection: Poems New and Selected" (Paraclete Press, 2006)
*"Philokalia" (Zoo Press, 2002)
*"Recovered Body" (George Braziller Inc., 1998)
*"The Sacred Place" [co-edited with Scott Olsen] (University of Utah Press, 1996)
*"Figures for the Ghost" (University of Georgia Press, 1994)
*"The Translation of Babel" (University of Georgia Press, 1990)
*"The Theology of Doubt" (Cleveland State University Press, 1985)

Awards

*Guggenheim Fellowship (2006)