Irena Praitis, Ph.D.
Professor / Department Chair
Biography
Irena Praitis earned her Ph.D. and M.F.A. degrees from Arizona State University. In the spring of 2005, she was a Fulbright Scholar in Vilnius, Lithuania. Her poems, essays, translations, and reviews have appeared or are forthcoming in journals such as Rattle, Mochila Review, Mid-America Poetry Review, International Poetry Review, Cold Mountain Review, Denver Quarterly, and Cultura, Lenguaje, y Representación. Her work was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her collection of poems, Touch, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2004, a collection of poems, Branches, was published by D-N Publishing in 2007, and a collection of prose vignettes, One Woman's Life, was published by Diversion Press in 2010. In 2011, with Kerry Shawn Keys, she co-translated a volume of poetry by the Lithuanian poet Sonata Paliulyte titled Still Life and published by Calder Wood Press.
Degrees
2001, M.F.A., Arizona State University
1999, Ph.D., Arizona State University
1992, M.A., Washington State University
1989, B.A., Carleton College
Research Areas
Poetry (Writing and Pedagogy), Poetry Translation (Lithuanian), Poetry of Alberto Ríos, Modern and Contemporary Poetry
Courses Regularly Taught
Poetry, Contemporary Poetry, Modern Poetry, Creative Writing, Contemporary Novel, Modern Novel, US Literature
Publications
BOOK PUBLICATIONS
Cage of Bone. Bainbridge, WA: Red Mountain Press, 2023.
Rods and Koans. Santa Fe, NM: Red Mountain Press, 2018.
The Last Stone in the Circle. Santa Fe, NM: Red Mountain Press, 2016.
Straws and Shadows. Irvine, CA: Moon Tide Press, 2012.
Still Life: Translations. With co-translator Kerry Shawn Keys. Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland: Calder Wood Press, 2011.
One Woman’s Life. Clarksville: TN: Diversion Press, 2010.
Branches. Indian Trail, SC: D-N Publishing. 2007.
Touch. Georgetown, KY: Finishing Line Press, 2004.
RECENT POETRY BUPLICATIONS
“Slow Sculpture,” Blueline, Forthcoming.
“Ping! It was the seventh text,” The Waiting Room, Forthcoming.
“Our Language of Winter,” reprinted in The American Pop Culture Almanac, 1776-2026. Forthcoming, 2026.
“My Son and I,” “Always a Woman,” The American Pop Culture Almanac, 1776-2026. Forthcoming, 2026.
“Naked, Clothed,” Connecticut River Review, August 2025. 78.
“Subtext,”
Ginosko Literary Journal
, March 25, 2025. 65-67
“Late Capitalism,”
Verse Daily, March 21, 2024.
“Ode to Women Who Bleed—A Lot,” CALYX, Vol. 34, No. 1, 2023.
“Treading,”
Caesura
, Online, March 2, 2023.
Grants & Special Projects
Books from Lithuania, 2006. Translation Grant.
Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, Spring Semester, 2005. American Studies Europe/Lithuania Grant.
Office Hours
By Appointment Only
