Robin Becker
Liberal Arts Research Professor Emerita of English and Women’s Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
Biography
Robin Becker is the author of nine collections of poems, including MIDSUMMER COUNT: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS (University of New Mexico Press, 2026). Her previous books include six published in the Pitt Poetry Series including Lambda Award Winner ALL AMERICAN GIRL and THE BLACK BEAR INSIDE ME (2018.) Liberal Arts Research Professor Emerita in English and Women’s Studies at Penn State, she served as the Penn State Laureate in 2010-2011. Becker has received fellowships from the Harvard-Radcliffe Institute, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the NEA, and has held residencies at the MacDowell Colony, Ragdale, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, the Ucross Foundation, and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation. Recent poems and book reviews have appeared in the American Poetry Review, On the Seawall, Prairie Schooner, and The New Yorker.
What is the relationship between Judaism and/or Jewish culture and your poetry?
Assimilation and belonging are two recurring themes in my work, focusing on the role of women in modern, American, Jewish, congregational life. Recently, Mussar study has enlarged my perspective and provided me with new material to consider for my poems.
Published Works
Midsummer Count: New and Selected Poems (University of New Mexico Press), 2026
The Black Bear Inside Me (University of Pittsburgh Press), 2018
Tiger Heron (University of Pittsburgh Press), 2014
Domain of Perfect Affection (University of Pittsburgh Press), 2006
The Horse Fair (University of Pittsburgh Press), 2000
All-American Girl (University of Pittsburgh Press), 1996
Giacometti’s Dog (University of Pittsburgh Press), 1990
Backtalk (Alice James Books), 1982
Personal Effects ( Alice James Books), 1976
