Oberlin Professor Wins Ohioana Award

Associate Professor of Creative Writing Kazim Ali has won the 2014 Ohioana Book Award in Poetry for **Sky Ward88, a collection of poetry.

Published by Wesleyan University Press, Sky Ward is Ali's fourth book of poetry. He has also published five books of prose, two books of nonfiction, and three books of translations. Ali and Presidential Scholar of Islam Jaraf Mahallati's translation of Iranian poet Sohrab Sepheri’s Oasis of Now was recently selected as a finalist for a Best Translated Book Award by Three Percent, an initiative by the University of Rochester to increase readership of translated texts in the United States. Ali's work has appeared in journals including American Poetry Review and Boston Review.

First awarded in 1942, Ohioana awards recognize individuals that contribute to the state's culture. Ohioana Book Awards are awarded in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, juvenile literature, poetry, and "about Ohio or an Ohioan". The winners were selected from 4,000 eligible books and 29 finalists, David Weaver, executive director the Ohioana Library, told the Wesleyan Press blog.

"It means a great deal to me to have such a personal book be recognized, especially among such other poets whom I hold in high esteem," says Ali.

The award ceremony will take place on Friday, October 10, at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.