Mark Doty, considered one of the most accomplished living American poets, was born on August 10, 1953 in Maryville, Tennessee. As his father was an army engineer, Doty’s childhood was marked by frequent moves between Tennessee, Arizona, California, and Florida. Largely attributable to his fears of being a gay man in the 1970s, Doty was married at 18 to Ruth Doty with whom the union lasted for nine years. The two divorced after he graduated from Drake University in 1978 (Drake).
Doty received his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Goddard College in Vermont in 1980 (Goddard). During this time he fell in love with Wally Roberts and the two lived together for twelve years. During this time, Doty wrote his first book of poetry. Published in 1987, Turtle, Swan received glowing reviews. The free verse poems were mostly anecdotal and reflected Doty’s experience as a gay man. Booklist commended Doty for making his experience “an example of how we live, how we suffer and transcend suffering” (Contemporary Poets). The collection is also distinguishable from his more recent works because of its attention to his early youth and coming-of-age. The reader can expect to find somewhat lighter subject matter in this first collection.
When Wally tested positive for HIV in 1989, the tone of Doty’s work became darker. His next books of poems, Bethlehem in Broad Daylight (1991) and My Alexandria (1993) both reflected his suffering, and were widely acclaimed. After the release of My Alexandria, Doty became the first American to win the T.S. Eliot Prize for best book of poetry published in the United Kingdom. In an interview, Doty described My Alexandria as “a real change… I was casting about for what would come next. And what came next for me was looking around at the present and adult life” (Poetry Foundation).
Wally Roberts died from AIDS in 1994. The loss was so difficult for Doty to deal with that he found himself unable to write for a period of time. Through his memoir, Heaven’s Coast, he was able to come to grips with the event. This book of prose also established him as a skilled memoirist, and since its publication he has continued to attain success through his memoirs as well as poetry. His writing is so unique because it does not contain “poisonous anger or grief” (Contemporary Poets) and fills the reader with a feeling of beauty.
Though Doty often writes about gay issues, his poetry has gone beyond that of an exclusively gay poet. He explains that he often writes to other gay men because their experience “often overlaps with mine.” Furthermore, he writes as an advocate of the gay experience because he has found it to be misrepresented or completely erased in current culture (Contemporary Poets).
Doty’s purpose in writing appears to be to express his own thoughts and experiences in the context of broader American life. He currently has eleven volumes of published poetry, the most recent of which is Theories and Apparitions (2008). Doty has received numerous prestigious awards including The Whiting Writer’s Award, The National Book Critic’s Circle Award, and The National Poetry Series publication. He resides in Provincetown, Massachusetts and Houston, Texas. He has been a faculty member at several colleges and universities and is currently the John and Rebecca Moores Professor of English in the graduate program at the University of Houston.
Bibliography of Mark Doty’s Individual Poetry Books
• Turtle, Swan (also see below), David R. Godine (Boston, MA), 1987.
• Bethlehem in Broad Daylight (also see below), Godine (Lincoln, MA), 1991.
• My Alexandria, University of Illinois Press (Urbana, IL), 1993.
• Atlantis, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1995.
• Sweet Machine: Poems, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1998.
• Island Sheaf, Dim Gray Bar Press (New York, NY), 1998.
• Turtle, Swan [and] Bethlehem in Broad Daylight: Poetry, University of Illinois Press (Urbana, IL), 2000.
• Source, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2001.
• School of the Arts, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2005.
• Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2008.
• Theories and Apparitions, Jonathan Cape (London, England), 2008.
Works Consulted
"Experience Literature - Poetry." Bedford St. Martin's. Web. 07 Feb. 2011.
“Goddard Alum Mark Doty Wins 2008 National Book Award.” Goddard College. Feb. 2011. Web.
“Mark (A.) Doty.” Contemporary Poets. Gale, 2001. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 7 Feb. 2011.
"Mark A. Doty." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 7 Mar. 2011.
"Mark Doty." Poets.org - Poetry, Poems, Bios & More. Web. 05 Feb. 2011.
"Mark Doty." The Poetry Foundation : Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry. Poetry Foundation, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2011.
Olson, Tory. “Drake alumnus Mark Doty honored with National Book Award for poetry.” Drake University. Feb. 2011. Web. Nov. 2008.
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