David St. John

David St. John is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished and innovative poets in the United States today, writing poems that former Poet Laureate Robert Hass has described as “gorgeous and more gorgeous.”

Born and raised in Fresno, California, St. John was groomed to be a tennis pro. As a teenager, he toyed with the notion of a career in rock and roll. Even after he met the poet Philip Levine at California State University, Fresno, and got serious about writing, he considered going into art criticism. All of these experiences are very much at hand in St. John’s work, which draws from the discipline, sense of anticipation and capacity for solitude he developed playing tennis, and from his abiding passion for music and the visual arts.

St. John also feels passionate about teaching. He has taught at Oberlin College and Johns Hopkins University, and served on the faculty of the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference and poetry workshops across the country.

Here at USC, St. John teaches creative writing as well as contemporary and comparative literature. Some 20 years ago, he pioneered an interdisciplinary seminar that tracked the influence of 20th-century cinema in connection with the work of contemporary poets. More recently, together with USC Thornton professor of composition Frank Ticheli, he has been team-teaching a graduate course that pairs student writers and composers in setting poetry to music. All about collaboration in the arts, the class brings in graduate vocal music students, too, to interpret the original works. St. John also is in high demand as a mentor in USC College’s fiercely competitive doctoral program in literature and creative writing.

• David St. John’s faculty profile