CV
Jake Syersak
JakeSyersak@gmail.com
EDUCATION
2019 Ph.D., University of Georgia, English with Creative Writing dissertation, Multi-Genre Studies
Thesis: Mantic Compost (creative-critical hybrid), committee: Magdalena Zurawski (chair), Andrew Zawacki, and Jed Rasula
2015 M.F.A., University of Arizona, English-Creative Writing, Multi-Genre Studies
Thesis: Yield Architecture (creative-poetry), committee: Joshua Marie Wilkinson (advisor)
2007 B.A., University of Washington, English Language and Literature
Thesis: “The Origins of Euro-Surrealism: How Wordsworth Implicated What Breton Explicated” (criticism), committee: Sydney Kaplan (advisor)
Honors: Cum Laude, Honors Distinction in English
TEACHING & RESEARCH FIELDS
Creative Writing, Poetics, Environmental Writing, Translation Theory and Practice, British and American Literature of the Enlightenment and Romanticism, International Surrealism, Modern and Contemporary American Literature.
BOOKS & CHAPBOOKS
Full-Length Original Works
Mantic Compost (Poetry),Trembling Pillow Press, under contract, 2021
Yield Architecture (Poetry), Burnside Review Books, 2018
Full-Length Translations
Proximal Morocco— (Poetry), Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, Ugly Duckling Presse, under contract, 2023
I, Caustic (Hybrid), Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, Litmus Press, under contract, 2022
Resurrection of Wildflowers (Poetry), Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, Oomph! Press, under contract 2021
Agadir (Hybrid), Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, co-translated with Pierre Joris, Diálogos/Lavender Ink, 2020
Chapbooks
Vortex(t) (Poetry), Coast|NoCoast, 2020
Though, Through, Thoroughly (Poetry), Cloaca Editions, 2019
First Breaths: Selected Early Poems (Poetry Translation),by Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, Oomph! Books, 2019.
Furigraphic Horizons (Poetry Translation), by Hawad, Above/Ground Press, 2019
Neocologism: A Trio of Encyclopedic Entries for Treading the Anthropo-Scenic Psyche (Poetry), Shirt Pocket Press,2017
These Ghosts / This Compost: An Aubadeclogue (Poetry), Above/Ground Press, 2017
Impressions in the Language of a Lantern’s Wick (Poetry), Ghost Proposal, July 2016
Notes to Wed No Toward, (Poetry), Plan B Press, 2013
ANTHOLOGIES
“from Mechanical Sensuality,” translations from the Italian by Fillìa (Luigi Colombo), The Beginning of the Prose Poem: An Anthology of the Prose Poem to 1925, eds. Mary Anne Caws and Michel Delville, 2021
“Arachnid Sun,” translation from the French by Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, Oomph!: Contemporary Works in Translation, a Multilingual Anthology, Vol. 2, 2018
SELECTED MAGAZINES & JOURNALS
Poetry
Apartment Poetry, Black Warrior Review, Bombay Gin, Colorado Review, Conjunctions, Cutbank, Diagram, Dream Pop Press, Front Porch, Gigantic Sequins, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Heavy Feather Review, Hot Metal Bridge, Ninth Letter, Notre Dame Review, Omniverse, Oversound, Phoebe, Reality Beach, Seattle Review, The South Dakota Review, The Spectacle, Spoon River Poetry Review, Third Coast, Timber, Verse Daily, Volt, Word for/Word, Yalobusha Review (Full list available upon request)
Translations
ANMLY, Arc Poetry Magazine (Canada), Asymptote, Banipal: A Magazine of Modern Arab Literature (UK), Black Warrior Review, Folder Magazine, Mississippi Review, New Poetry in Translation, Second Stutter, Tripwire (Full list available upon request)
REVIEWS WRITTEN
“Julia Madsen’s The Boneyard, the Birth Manual, a Burial: Investigations in the Heartland,” Cloud Rodeo, 2019
“Jayme Russell’s PINKPoems,” Cloud Rodeo, 2018
“Alexis Almeida’s I Have Never Been Able to Sing,” Cloud Rodeo, 2018
“Eileen Myles’ Aloha / irish trees,” Diagram, 2016
“Abraham Smith’s Ashagalomancy,” The Volta, 2015
“Katie Jean Shinkle’s Baby-Doll Under Ice,” The Volta, 2014
“Anne Barngrover and Avni Vyas’ Candy in Our Brains,” The Volta, 2014
“Amber Nelson’s In Anima: Urgency,” The Volta, 2014
“David Bartone’s Practice on Mountains,” The Volta, 2014
REVIEWS OF WORK & INTERVIEWS GIVEN
“An Interview with Jake Syersak, Paul Cunningham, and Gale Marie Thompson,” by Connor Fisher, Heavy Feather Review, forthcoming 2022
“Aftershocks,” by Ursula Lindsey and Marcia Lynx Qualey, Bulaq Podcast, Episode 67, 2021
“Built on Sand: A Review of Agadir” by Will Cordeiro, Diagram, 2021
“Agadir: A ‘Guerilla Linguistique’” by Becki Maddox, Banipal: Magazine of Modern Arab Literature, 2021
“Walking the Line Between Today and Tomorrow: An Interview with Jake Syersak,” by Sam Hui, Thin Air Magazine: The Literary Magazine of Northern Arizona University, 2021
“Books in Brief: Agadir” by editorial staff, Banipal: Magazine of Modern Arab Literature, 69, 2020
“Kenyon Review Micro-reviews: Agadir,” by Phoebe Bay Carter, Kenyon Review, 2020
“Sirens of Architecture: Alexandra Mattraw & Jake Syersak on Their Debut Books of Poetry and Beyond” Heavy Feather Review, by Jake Syersak and Alexandra Mattraw, 2020
“Seeking Past: An Interview with Jake Syersak,” by Jeff Alessandrelli. Fanzine, 2019
“Book Review: Yield Architecture by Jake Syersak,” Colorado Review, by Kristin George Bagdanov, 2018
“A Review of Yield Architecture by Jake Syersak,” American Microreviews and Interviews, by Zack Anderson, 2018
“Interview with Jake Syersak,” Ghost Proposal, by James Eidson, 2017
“Book Review: Impressions in the Language of a Lantern’s Wick by Jake Syersak,” by Paul Cunningham. Entropy, 2016
SELECTED READINGS
The Racket (San Francisco), Moonstone Arts Center (Philadelphia), UGA Creative Writing Reading Program: 2 Students + 2 Alumni (Athens), An Evening of Poetry In Translation with Oomph! Press (New York) So & So Reading Series (Raleigh), In Your Ear (Washington DC), Shark’s Parlor (Columbia), Blood Jet (New Orleans), Tuning Fork (Athens), Avid Poetry Series (Athens), Trobar Ric (Oxford), Works-In-Progress (Tucson), Invoke/Evoke (Tucson)
ESSAYS & CONFERENCE PANELS
“Diálogos Books Presents: Roundtable on Contemporary Francophone Writing from North Africa,” New Orleans Poetry Festival, remote, 2021
“The Ungraspable Tongue: Thoughts on and Excerpts from Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine’s I, Caustic (Moi, l’aigre),” SITES: Contemporary French & Francophone Studies, 24.5, Ed. Roger Célestin, 2021
“Skyscrapers or Gardens?: A Discussion of the Power of Paratext,” The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) Conference, remote, 2020
“Undying Arberishte: Translating and Preserving a non-Greek Language of Greece, with Peter Constantine,” United Nations, remote, 2020
“45.2 Feature: Translation Craft Essay by Jake Syersak,” Black Warrior Review Online, web, 2019
“Mantic Compost: An Ontological Defense of Surrealism in the Service of Eco-Poetics,” &NOW: A Multidisciplinary Exhibition of Innovative Writing at Notre Dame University, South Bend, 2018
“Mohammed Khair-Eddine: Poems translated from the French,” The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) Conference’s North African Bilingual Reading Series Panel, Minneapolis, 2017
“Valentine Penrose: Poems Translated from the French,” The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) conference’s Francophone Bilingual Reading Series Panel, Tucson, 2015
“The Uber-paragraph: Integrating Creative Writing Techniques into the Composition Classroom,” New Graduate Teaching Workshop, University of Arizona, Tucson, 2014
SELECTED AWARDS, HONORS, FELLOWSHIPS
2021 National Translation Award in Poetry Longlist for Agadir by Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine, co-translated with Pierre Joris
2021 PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grant for I, Caustic (Moi, l’aigre) by Mohammed Khaïr-Eddine
2020 Coast|NoCoast Chapbook Contest Winner for Vortex(t)
2018 Jim B. Colvert English, Department Travel Research Award, University of Georgia
2018 Yellowwood Poetry Prize Finalist, Yalobusha Review, University of Mississippi
2017 Madeleine P. Plonsker Emerging Writer’s Residency Prize Finalist, AndNow
2016 Omnidawn Open Poetry Book Contest Finalist (selected by Cal Bedient)
2016 Greg Grummer Poetry Prize Finalist, Phoebe Literary Journal, George Mason University
2016 Black Warrior Review Poetry Contest Finalist, Black Warrior Review, University of Alabama
2016 Omnidawn 1st/ 2nd Poetry Book Contest Finalist (selected by Claudia Rankine)
2015 Annual Subito Poetry Book Contest Finalist, Subito Press (selected by Eric Baus)
2015 University of Georgia Incoming Student English Fellowship, University of Georgia
2015 Burnside Review Editors’ Choice Award for Yield Architecture
2014 GPSC Travel Grant, University of Arizona
2014 Graduate and Professional Student Council Fellowship, University of Arizona
2014 Patricia Geodicke Poetry Prize Winner (selected by Juliana Spahr), Cutbank Literary Journal, University of Montana
2014 University of Arizona Poetry Center Award (selected by Timothy Liu), UA Poetry Center, University of Arizona
2013 University of Arizona English Incoming Student Award, UA Foundation, University of Arizona
SERVICE TO THE PROFESSION
Contributing Editor, Letter Machine Editions, 2014 – Present
Co-editor, Radioactive Cloud, 2016 – Present
Editor-in-Chief of Cloud Rodeo: An Irregularly Published Journal of the Irregular, 2012 – 2020
Preliminary judge for 2019 University of Georgia Press Georgia Poetry Prize, 2019 – 2020
Co-organizer, Yumfactory Reading Series, Athens, GA. 2016 – 2019
AP Language Exam Reader, ETS College Board, Tampa, 2018
GPSC 2015 – 2016 University of Arizona Travel Grant Judge, Tucson, 2015
Rubric Grader, Department of English Experimental Assessment Group, Tucson, 2015
Managing Editor and Editor-in-Chief, Sonora Review, 2013 – 2015
Chapbook Reviews Editor, The Volta, 2014 – 2015
TEACHING
Part-time English Instructor
Bucks County Community College, PA 2018 – 2020
Raritan Valley Community College, NJ 2019 – 2020
At BCCC, Developed syllabus and overall course structure for the English Department’s introductory composition courses. Administered all grades. Taught fundamentals of the writing process, college-level research, and argument through six major assignments, culminating in a substantial research project. Emphasized peer-review, revision, and research. At RVCC, taught creative writing for English Department’s introductory creative writing courses. Led weekly discussion and workshop of student-generated creative work across genres of poetry and fiction (including hybrid forms), led generative in-class writing prompts, taught fundamentals of craft choice and terminology through craft essays, and guided students through composing a cohesive final portfolio of creative materials.
Graduate Student Instructor
University of Georgia, Athens, GA 2015 – 2018
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 2013 – 2015
Developed syllabus and overall course structure for the English Department’s introductory composition courses and creative writing workshop. Administered all grades. For composition, taught fundamentals of the writing process, college-level research, and argument through three major assignments and a final portfolio. Emphasized peer-review, revision, and portfolio construction. For creative writing, led weekly discussion and workshop of student-generated creative work across all genres (poetry, fiction, essay, hybrid), led generative in-class writing prompts, taught fundamentals of craft choice and terminology through craft essays, and guided students through composing a cohesive final portfolio of creative materials.
EDITORIAL
Freelance Translation Editor
Remote, 2019 – Present
Edited student translation portfolios for University of Connecticut Professor of Translation and Director of the Literary Translation Program Peter Constantine. Edited portfolios and provided suggestions on a weekly basis for students in the UConn Literary Translation Program translating from all languages (Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Sanskrit, and Spanish, among others). Edited North African Francophone literary texts for Bill Lavender, Founding Editor at Lavender Ink/Diálogos Press.
Cloud Rodeo/Radioactive Cloud Chapbooks
Seattle, WA; Tucson, AZ; Athens, GA; Princeton, NJ 2012 – Present
Began as Assistant Editor for Issue 2 of Cloud Rodeo before taking over as Editor-in-chief after Issue 3. Published winners of National Poetry Series and finalists for the National Book Award, LA Times Book Award, as well as recipients of book prizes from Omnidawn, The American Poetry Review, YesYes Books, and Ahsahta Press, among others. Added a Reviews column in 2019. In collaboration with Deluge/Radioactive Moat Press, expanded as a chapbook press and began producing handmade silkscreened cover chapbooks.
Letter Machine Editions Contributing Editor
Tucson, AZ; Athens, GA, 2013 – Present
Began as reader of prospective full-length poetry manuscripts on a weekly basis, writing reports to founding editor. Assisted in organizing first open reading period. Assisted in publication, promotion, and distribution of books awarded The William Carlos Williams Award, The Arab American Book Award, The California Book Award, and shortlisted for the National Book Award and the LA Times Book Award.
Sonora Review Editorial Assistant, Managing Editor, Editor-in-chief
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 2013 – 2015
As Editorial Assistant, collaborated with others in roundtable discussions to select poetry, fiction, and non-fiction to be included in the journal. Promoted to Managing Editor in first year. Co-wrote successful interdepartmental grants in preparation for 2013 – 2014-year funding, in addition to taking on leadership roles in organizing annual readings and conference and book fair travel. Promoted to Editor-in-chief for the 2014 – 2015 year. Designed, proofed, and saw issues to print. Coordinated annual contests and budgets. Overlooked and assigned editorial and undergraduate internship positions. Created a new Contests and Events Coordinator position to improve distribution, promotion, and revenue. Acquired Graduate and Professional Student Council Grant to help finance the journal. Increased journal funding by ~$2000 from previous year.
REFERENCES
(Available on request)
jakesyersak.com 