Joseph Powell has published seven collections of poetry: Counting the Change, which won the Quarterly Review of Literature’s Book Award in 1986; Winter Insomnia, which was published by Arrowood Books in 1993; and Getting Here, which also won the Quarterly Review of Literature’s Book Award in 1997. Hard Earth (2010) and Preamble to the Afterlife (2013) were published by March Street Press. Holding Nothing Back (2019) was published by Main Street Rag, and The Slow Subtraction: A.L.S. (2019) was published by MoonPath Press. His book of short stories, Fish Grooming & Other Stories, was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award in 2008. He has also co-written a book on poetic meter called Accent on Meter published by the NCTE in 2004. He has published four poetry chapbooks. For his poetry he has won a National Endowment for the Arts Award (2009), an Artist Trust Award (2005), the Tom Pier Award (2006), and 12 poems and one story have been nominated for Pushcart Prizes from a variety of literary magazines. An essay won the Victor J. Emmett, Jr. Memorial Award from The Midwest Quarterly (2007). He was awarded Central Washington University’s Phi Beta Kappa Scholar of the Year (2004), and named a Distinguished University Professor in Artistic Accomplishment in 2009. Joseph taught in the English department at Central Washington University for 30 years and is now an emeritus professor.
