William May
Current City, State, Country
Birth City, State, Country
Biography
William May first began writing poetry when he was a young boy at a school for learning-disabled students in New York City. Being dyslexic, reading and writing were skills William had to work hard to master, but he believes that the effort and struggle taught him to appreciate language and recognize its power from an early age.
William has always had an interest in presenting his works, not only in written formats but also through reading and performance. While, in the past, this often took the form of readings in his local community, he is currently focusing on growing his audience through social media posts presenting his poetry in various formats, including his weekly and monthly newsletters.
A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the University of North Carolina’s MFA in Creative Writing, William currently resides with his fiancée Melissa Myers on the southeast Florida coast.
What is the relationship between Judaism and/or Jewish culture and your poetry?
Although Judaism isn’t always the apparent theme in my work, I can’t help but feel that being Jewish has shaped me in profound ways that are omnipresent in my writing. I grew up knowing that my father\’s family had been part of the Reform Jewish movement in New York City from the 1870s 0r 80’s. My grandmothers both served as presidents of their temples, with my Father’s mother being one of the first women to serve in that role at a major congregation in the city. I learned to value our community and a recognition of the work and dedication it takes to build such connections. As a poet, I am also very aware of language, of course, and cannot help but be impacted by the realization that I come from a tradition where language is seen not only as the central tool of creation but also, within the Kabbalistic framework, as a key for mystical and spiritual understanding. In some sense, though, I suppose that my Jewishness exists at a level where it is so intrinsic to my experience and identity that I can’t necessarily recognize it myself. I am too deep within it to always be aware of the ways it impacts me.
Published Works
Chameleon Chimera Anthology (South Florida Poetry Journal, 2019)
Author Site
Links to Sample Works
Video Reading
Current Title
Education
Sarah Lawrence College, B.A.
UNC Greensboro, M.F.A.