Pacosz, Christina V.
October 12, 1946 -
Place of Birth: Detroit, MI
Place of Principle Residence: Kansas City, KA
Biography:
Christina V. Pacosz was born to Sophia and Walter Pacosz in Detroit, MI. Both of her parents were working-class and Polish-American, and raised their daughter in Detroit. Pacosz earned her BS at Wayne State University in 1970, and briefly attended Jagiellonian University in Poland. In 1993 she was accepted in the M.F.A. Creative Writing Program at the University of Alaska. She has written six books of poetry and her work (including both poetry, short stories, and reviews) has appeared in many publications, including the I-70 Review, Jane’s Stories III, Women Writing Across Boundaries, and Pemmican. In addition to being a writer, she has worked as a small press book bus driver, waitress, library clerk, carpenter’s apprentice, teacher, and poet in the schools in several states. She now lives with her husband in Kansas City where she teaches urban youth.
Selected Works:
- This Is Not a Place to Sing (1987)
- Notes From the Red Zone (1983)
- Shimmy Up to This Fine Mud (1976)
- In, A Gathering of Poets (1992)
Awards:
- 2003 Prairie Poets Award
- 1994 Achievement Award in Fiction from Now & Then
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Pacosz was born and raised in a working-class family in Detroit, MI where she experienced the social struggles of those around her. After being educated at Wayne State University, Pacosz left Michigan, but her childhood experiences stayed in her writing.