Matt Rasmussen ’98Alumni and Faculty

Associate Professor in English

I graduated from Gustavus the year of the tornado and am a former Peace Corps Volunteer (Papua New Guinea '99-'01). I'm the author of Black Aperture, which was selected by Jane Hirshfield as the winner of the 2013 Walt Whitman Award. Black Aperture was also awarded the 2014 Minnesota Book Award for Poetry and was a finalist for the National Book Award.  My poems have been published in The Literary Review, Gulf Coast, Water~Stone Review, Revolver, Paper Darts, Poets.org and elsewhere. I've received grants and residencies from the McKnight Foundation, Bush Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Jerome Foundation, The Anderson Center, and The Corporation of Yaddo. I received a 2014 Pushcart Prize and was awarded the 2015 Holmes National Poetry Prize by the creative writing faculty at Princeton University.  I'm a founder and editor of the independent poetry press Birds, LLC and I live in Robbinsdale, Minnesota. You can find links to poems and reviews at: www.mattrasmussen.net

Education

B.A. Gustavus Adolphus College, M.F.A. (Poetry) Emerson College

Interests

Literature, Poetry, Writing, and Golf


Courses Taught

ENG-101 (Read:World at the Margins), ENG-112 (Introduction to Creative Writing), and ENG-350 (Editing & Publishing)

Past
Synonym Title Times Taught Terms Taught
ENG-112 Introduction to Creative Writing 30 2023/SP, 2022/FA, 2022/SP, 2021/FA, 2021/SP, 2020/FA, 2020/SP, 2019/FA, 2019/SP, 2018/FA, 2018/SP, 2017/FA, 2017/SP, 2016/FA, 2016/SP, 2015/SP, 2014/FA, 2013/FA, 2013/SP, 2012/SP, 2010/SP, 2009/SP, 2008/FA, 2008/SP, 2007/FA, and 2006/FA
ENG-101 Read:World at the Margins 13 2023/SP, 2022/FA, 2022/SP, 2020/FA, 2019/FA, 2018/FA, 2018/SP, 2017/FA, 2016/FA, 2012/FA, 2011/FA, and 2008/FA
ENG-130 Intro World Literature 6 2020/SP, 2018/SP, 2017/SP, 2016/SP, 2015/FA, and 2015/SP
ENG-350 Editing & Publishing 5 2023/SP, 2022/SP, 2021/SP, 2020/SP, and 2019/SP
ENG-132 World Literature II 4 2010/SP, 2008/SP, 2007/SP, and 2006/SP
ENG-251 Writing Poetry 3 2022/FA, 2016/FA, and 2014/FA
ENG-104 Fairy Tales 3 2018/JN, 2017/JN, and 2015/JN
ENG-102 Literary Studies 2 2021/FA and 2019/SP
FTS-100 FTS:Poetry & Identity 2 2020/FA and 2019/FA
ENG-105 Appreciating Literature 2 2009/SP and 2007/SP
ENG-231 Modern Poetry 1 2021/FA
ENG-344 ST:Adv Poetry Writing 1 2018/FA
ENG-399 Senior Seminar 1 2017/SP
ENG-244 ST:Lit of Marginalized 1 2015/SP
ENG-122 American Literature II 1 2010/SP