A short life of the author
Kim Addonizio (born 1954) is an American poet whose work combines formal skill — she is a master of received forms, including the sonnet and her own invention, the “sonnenizio” — with content that is raw, direct, and unflinchingly physical. Her poetry deals with desire, grief, addiction, aging, and the body with a frankness that distinguishes her from both the workshop mainstream and the avant-garde.
Life and Career
Addonizio grew up in the Washington, D.C., area and has lived in San Francisco for much of her career. She studied at San Francisco State University and has taught poetry workshops widely. She is also a blues harmonica player, and the rhythmic sensibility of blues music informs her poetry’s cadences.
Tell Me (2000) was nominated for the National Book Award and established her as a major voice — a collection that moved between formal and free verse with equal authority, dealing with subjects including sexuality, loss, and the limits of language. The poem “Tell Me” became widely anthologized.
What Is This Thing Called Love (2004) continued in this vein, with poems that were sexually frank, emotionally exposed, and formally controlled. Her work avoids both the confessional mode’s tendency toward self-indulgence and the academic mode’s tendency toward emotional withdrawal — she is direct without being raw, formal without being constrained.
Lucifer at the Starlite (2009) and Now We’re Getting Somewhere (2021) showed her range extending into darker, more apocalyptic territory while maintaining the grounded, physical quality that is her signature.
She invented the “sonnenizio” — a fourteen-line form based on a line from a pop song — and has written influential books on the craft of poetry, including The Poet’s Companion (1997, with Dorianne Laux) and Ordinary Genius (2009).
Key Works
- Tell Me (2000)
- What Is This Thing Called Love (2004)
- Lucifer at the Starlite (2009)
- Now We’re Getting Somewhere (2021)
Collecting Addonizio
First editions (BOA Editions, W.W. Norton) are modestly priced at $15–$35. Tell Me is the most collected title. Addonizio signs and reads widely, making signed copies accessible. Her craft books are also collected by writers and teachers of poetry.