University Directory

April Lindner, PhD

Professor

Headshot of April Linder

Department

Office

Merion 134

Phone

610-660-1882
Contact

April Lindner is the author of three Young Adult novels, Jane, Catherine, and Love, Lucy, all retellings of classic British novels, and all published by Poppy/Little, Brown Young Reader. She also is the author of two poetry collections, Skin (winner of the Walt McDonald First Book Prize from Texas Tech University Press) and This Bed Our Bodies Shaped (published by Able Muse Press). With Ryan Wilson, she is a co-editor of Contemporary Catholic Poetry, an anthology from Paraclete Press. She has edited or co-edited a number of other poetry anthologies, notably Contemporary American Poetry with R. S. Gwynn (Penguin Pocket Academics). Here critical monographs, Dana Gioia, and New Formalist Poets of the American West were published in Boise State University's Western Writers Series. April holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Cincinnati, an MFA in writing from Sarah Lawrence College, and a BA from the University of New Hampshire.

    • BA, University of New Hampshire, 1984
    • MFA, Sarah Lawrence College, 1989
    • PhD, University of Cincinnati, 1998
    • Creative writing (poetry, fiction, travel writing)
    • Contemporary American poetry
    • Young Adult fiction
    • Women writers

  • I use a combination of discussion, collaborative work, peer editing workshops (both class-wide and small group), invention exercises (in writing classes) and mini-lectures when necessary. I'm a strong believer in the writing workshop. By serving as each other's editors and trusted readers, student writers can become better critics of their own writing. Over the course of a semester, I like to work toward a decentralized classroom, providing a great deal of guidance at the start and gradually stepping back so that students are running more of the show.

  • Books

    Love, Lucy. New York: Poppy (Little, Brown), 2015

    Jane. New York: Poppy (Little, Brown), 2010.

    Skin. Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press, 2002. Winner of 2001 Walt McDonald First Book Poetry Prize.

    Catherine . New York: Poppy (Little, Brown), 2013.

    This Bed Our Bodies Shaped : Poems . San Jose: Able Muse Press, 2012.

    Journals

    "Life Study," "Female Western Lowland Gorilla," and "Presents for Girls." Mezzo Cammin 2.2 (2008):

    "Eleven" and "Dimenticato." Measure II (2007)

    "A Flash, A Lightning Bolt, A Random Blip."MiPoesias 20.2 (2006). 31 May 2006.

    "Alchemy," "Widow's Walk," and "Three at Low Tide." The Hudson Review 58.2 (2005)

    "She." The Formalist 15.2 (2004)

    "Still Life," "Dog Bite," "Nameless," and "Starting Over." Prairie Schooner 77.4 (2003)

    "Learning to Float." Verse Daily 10 August 2003. 7 January 2004 .

    Anthologies and Textbooks

    "Low Tide." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 10th Edition. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia,. New York: Longman, 2006.

    "Dog Bite." Three Genres: Writing Fiction/Literary Nonfiction, Poetry and Drama. Stephen Minot, ed. 8th Edition. New York: Prentice Hall, 2006.

    "First Kiss." Poetry: A Pocket Reader. Ed. R. S. Gwynn. 5th Edition. New York: Longman/Penguin Academics, 2004.

    "Girl." Western Wind. Ed. John Frederick Nims and David Mason. 5th Edition. New York: McGraw Hill, 2005.

    "First Kiss." Good Poems. Ed. Garrison Keillor. New York: Viking Penguin, 2002.

    Selected Editorial Projects:

    Contemporary Poetry of the United States. Ed. April Lindner. Moscow: OGI Press, 2007. A bilingual anthology in Russian and English.

    Lineas Conectadas: Poesia Nueva de los Estados Unidos. Ed. April Lindner. Louisville, KY: Sarabande Books, 2006. A bilingual anthology in Spanish and English.

    Contemporary American Poetry. Ed. R. S. Gwynn and April Lindner. New York: Longman/Penguin Academics, 2004.