Dave Lucas (born September 29, 1980) is an American poet and essayist. He was the second Poet Laureate of the state of Ohio.“Governor names second Ohio poet laureate,” Associated Press, January 6, 2018.
Early life and education Lucas was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his B.A. at John Carroll University, M.F.A. in creative writing at the University of Virginia, and M.A. and Ph.D. in English language and literature at the University of Michigan.“Dave Lucas, 2016 Emerging Artist Prize in Literature,” Cleveland Arts Prize Website, Retrieved February 19, 2018.
Career Lucas's first poetry collection, Weather, was published in 2011 by University of Georgia Press and was awarded the 2012 Ohioana Book Award for Poetry.Andrew Welsh-Huggins, “New Ohio poet laureate hopes to celebrate poetry in life,” Associated Press, January 15, 2018. Shortly after publication, former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove named him as one of thirteen “young poets to watch.”Theresa Riley, “Rita Dove’s List of Young Poets to Watch,” Moyers & Company, February 17, 2012. His poetry has been anthologized in The Bedford Introduction to Literature and Best New Poets 2005,Dave Lucas, “November,” The Bedford Introduction to Literature. University of Connecticut Press, 2016. and has appeared in such journals as The American Poetry Review, Blackbird, The Paris Review, Poetry, Slate, The Threepenny Review and Virginia Quarterly Review. He has reviewed books for The Plain Dealer and his essays have appeared in Granta and Virginia Quarterly Review, among other publications.Dave Lucas, “Poet Seamus Heaney writes 'Human Chain' with a mastery of place and name,” The Plain Dealer, February 22, 2010.“Dave Lucas,” Virginia Quarterly Review, Retrieved February 19, 2018.Dave Lucas, “That Father Lost,” Granta, February 14, 2012.
Lucas has taught at Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Clinic's Program in Medical Humanities, the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, the John Carroll Young Writers Workshop, and the Sweet Briar Creative Writing Conference.
Brews and Prose Literary Series In 2012, Lucas co-founded Brews and Prose, a monthly literary series hosted at Market Garden Brewery. He served as the program's Creative Director from its inception through 2017.Nikki Delamotte, “Cleveland's Brews and Prose celebrates its fifth anniversary with new host Lydia Munnell,” The Plain Dealer, July 5, 2017.Anne Nickoloff, “Brews + Prose announce future changes at 4-year anniversary,” The Plain Dealer, July 13, 2016.
Ohio Poet Laureate In January 2018, Ohio Governor John Kasich named Lucas the state's second poet laureate, succeeding Amit Majmudar.David C. Barnett and Dave DeOreo, “Cleveland's Dave Lucas Named Ohio Poet Laureate,” Ideastream, January 15, 2018. Lucas was recommended for the two-year position after a statewide nominating process by the Ohio Poet Laureate Selection Committee.
Honors and awards Ohio Poet Laureate, 2018 – 2019 Cleveland Arts Prize Emerging Artist Award, 2016Laura DeMarco, “Cleveland Arts Prize 2016 recipients announced,” The Plain Dealer, May 2, 2016. Ohioana Book Award for Poetry, 2012“Ohioana Book Award Winners,” Ohioana Library Website, Retrieved February 19, 2018. Discovery/The Nation, the Joan Leiman Jacobson Poetry Prize, 2005“Discovery/The Nation ’05 Prizewinners,” The Nation, May 12, 2005.
Books Weather, Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 2011.
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