About

About

Ryan Clark is an Old Greer County native and writes poetry through a unique method of homophonic translation. He is the author of the books Arizona SB 1070: An Act (Downstate Legacies, 2021) and How I Pitched the First Curve (Lit Fest Press, 2019), and his poems have appeared in such journals as DIAGRAM, Barzakh, Posit, Fourteen Hills, Interim, Painted Bride Quarterly, and Yemassee.

After earning a B.A. in English from the University of Mississippi and an M.F.A. in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University’s Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics, Ryan received his Ph.D. in English Studies from Illinois State University. During this journey he has been taught and inspired by such writers and educators as Gabriel Gudding, Duriel E. Harris, Kass Fleisher, Michelle Naka Pierce, Bhanu Kapil, Beth Ann Fennelly, and Barry Hannah.

In 2007, he began experimenting with homophonic translation and has since developed a unique method, informed by linguistic study, which translates a source text into poetry by re-sounding the original text based on each letter’s potential to produce sound within the language. After years of honing his skill, he has taken to writing the entirety of his poetry through this method of homophonic translation.

After teaching at Waldorf University from 2016-2023 as an Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing, he now lives with his partner and two cats in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Books

Arizona SB 1070: An Act
Downstate Legacies, 2021

How I Pitched the First Curve
Lit Fest Press, 2019
(out of print)

Contact

ryanlandryclark [at] gmail [dot] com