Walta Borawski
BornOctober 15, 1947
Patchogue, New York, U.S.
DiedFebruary 9, 1994 (aged 46)
Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materState University of New York
OccupationPoet
PartnerMichael Bronski (1975–1994)

Walta Borawski (October 15, 1947 – February 9, 1994) was an American poet.

Early life

Walta Borawski was born on October 15, 1947, in Patchogue, New York, where he attended high school. His poem "Cheers, Cheers for Old Cha Cha Ass" recounts the pain of school homophobia.[1] Borawski graduated from State University of New York.

Career

After college, he became the first arts editor of the Poughkeepsie Journal. He moved to Boston in 1975.

He published two collections of poems: Sexually Dangerous Poet[2] and Lingering in a Silk Shirt.[3] In 2022, Rebel Satori Press published Invisible History: The Collected Poems of Walta Borawski, edited by Philip Clark and Michael Bronski, which includes both published collections along with uncollected work.[4] This volume won the Publishing Triangle's 2023 Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry.[5]

His poems "Some of Us Wear Pink Triangles" and "Power of One" are included in The Columbia Anthology of Gay Literature : Readings from Western Antiquity to the Present Day[6] and "Invisible History", "(No title)," "Things Are Still Sudden & Wonderful," "Traveling in the Wrong Century," and "Trying to Write a Love Poem" are included in Persistent Voices : Poetry by Writers Lost to AIDS, edited by David Groff and Philip Clark.

Personal life

Borawski was the partner of Michael Bronski. They met on June 23, 1975, and remained together until Borawski's death on February 9, 1994.[7] Robert Giard photographed the two together in 1987 for his series Particular Voices.[8] They are also featured in the anthology Two Hearts Desire: Gay Couples on their Love, originally published in 1997, and republished in digital format in 2017.[7][8]

He died on February 9, 1994, of complications from AIDS, at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Ridinger, Robert B (2014). Speaking for Our Lives: Historic Speeches and Rhetoric for Gay and Lesbian Rights (1892-2000). Routledge. p. 650. ISBN 9781317766346. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  2. ↑ Borawski, Walta (1984). Sexually Dangerous Poet. Good Gay Poets. ISBN 0915480166.
  3. ↑ Borawski, Walta (1994). Lingering in a silk shirt: Poems. Fag Rag Books. ISBN 0915480204.
  4. ↑ Publisher (2022-10-06). "Invisible History: The Collected Poems of Walta Borawski". Rebel Satori Press & Arabi Manor. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  5. ↑ "2023 Publishing Triangle Award Winners Announced". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  6. ↑ The Columbia anthology of gay literature : readings from Western antiquity to the present day. Columbia University Press, [1998] ©1998. 1998. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  7. 1 2 Two Hearts Desire: Gay Couples on their Love Kindle Edition. Bastei Lübbe. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Michael Bronski and Walta Borawski. Cambridge, MA". NYPL Digital Collections. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  9. ↑ Hoffman, Amy (2007). An Army of Ex-lovers: My Life at the Gay Community News. Univ of Massachusetts Press. p. 40. ISBN 9781558496217. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
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