Barrax Receives Literature Award

Gerald Barrax, English professor emeritus, received the North Carolina Award for Literature from the governor on Oct. 29. The North Carolina awards, established in 1961, recognize significant individual contributions in the fields of fine arts, literature, public service and science.

Known as a “poet’s poet,”  Barrax has published six volumes of poems, including Leaning Against the Sun, which was nominated for both a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. His work has been featured in anthologies.

Barrax served on the NC State faculty from 1970 to 1997. He was editor of Obsidian II and poetry editor of Callaloo. His honors include a Ford Foundation Fellowship, the Sam Ragan Award, the Raleigh Medal of Arts and induction into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2006.