Robert Fanning is the author of Old Bright Wheel (Ledge Press Poetry Award 2003) and The Seed Thieves (Marick Press, 2006). His poems have appeared in numerous journals, including Poetry, Ploughshares, The Atlanta Review, The Hawaii Review, America, The Ledge, and Artword Quarterly. A graduate of the University of Michigan and Sarah Lawrence College, Fanning's writing awards include a Creative Artist Grant from ArtServe Michigan, the Inkwell Poetry Award, and the Foley Poetry Award.

Biography

A few words from Robert's official biographer...

Robert Fanning arrived prematurely in La Clinique de Bois Gentil, in Geneva, Switzerland on the hottest day of the summer in 1970. The first words he heard were "Poussez, Madame!!" Following that trauma, he was immediately placed in a plastic bubble, where French-speaking nurses prodded him through the bubble with white gloves and funny hats for months. Occasionally his parents and others would wave at him through a window.

When he was released from the bubble, born again, so to speak—the shit really hit the fan. From there he was placed in a van with what appeared to be either an elementary school class or a prison chain gang, but as they were introduced, he came to immediately know and love his 6 other siblings, soon to be 7. The strange man who drove liked singing and tap dancing, and his wife liked to shout "Gerry!" a lot.

Living in England at Eriswell House until he was 3 was completely mesmerizing, beautiful and utterly unmemorable—as Robert has no memories before about age 5 or so. But the pictures look nice, and he looks pretty good in diapers. The Fannings then moved to the USA until 1976, where Robert watched television, rode his bike and helped paint a fire-hydrant for the centennial celebration, before the family moved back to England. At St. Maur's Robert was chastised for saying he had a "bloody nose," (nosebleed), and teased for being American. Returning then to America in 1979, at Fox Hills School, and St. Hugo of the Hills school, in Michigan, Robert was teased for his British accent. In 5th grade, the prettiest girl in the class tripped over his oversized British duffle bag and hit her face on a desk. "I'm soory, I'm soory," Robert pleaded to the other children, staring at him venomously. He longed for his British accent to disappear.

After that it was all downhill. He learned how to speak American, and fell in love with baseball, and knew that after a few more years of Little League the Tigers would draft him for his killer right arm. He got pretty good grades, kept to himself, and really didn't bother anyone that much. In high school, Creative Writing teacher Don Lytle wrote "you're a poet" on one of his poems and Robert felt elated to have his quest for meaning and truth—and identity—completed by age 17. Phew.

After that it was the University of Michigan (BFA) and Sarah Lawrence College (MFA)—where he became, of course a Master of Fine Art. The Mastery wasn't terribly hard—it was finding employers who cared that he was one of The Masters. Often interviewers would stare at him blankly, looking over his resume, seemingly unmoved by his pleas "But I am a Master. I am a MASTER."

Currently he works as the Program Director for InsideOut Literary Arts Project.

He lives in Ferndale, MI with his wife Denise Whitebread Fanning, his son Gabriel Drake Fanning and his daughter Magdalena June Fanning.

Should you be interested in having Robert come to your university, your boardroom, your top-secret government meeting or your backyard barbecue to read his poems, he'd be totally into it—assuming you float him some cabbage. Oh yeah, and if you're interested, he conducts workshops for individuals and groups, reviews manuscripts, and sings karaoke—the last he'll do for free, if you provide the machine and the microphone.

As major life occurrences occur to Robert, he will update them here. So check back—there might be something really big happening soon. You never know.