A. R. Ammons

Archibald Randolph (A. R.) Ammons (1926–2001) was an American poet born in Whiteville, North Carolina, who taught at Cornell University and published nearly 30 poetry collections, drawing inspiration from nature and his rural upbringing. His most notable works include Collected Poems 1951–1971, Sphere, Garbage, and A Coast of Trees, for which he won two National Book Awards (1973, 1993), the Bollingen Prize (1975), and the National Book Critics Circle Award (1981), among other honors like a MacArthur Fellowship. Revered for advancing American romantic poetry in the tradition of Emerson and Whitman, his style blended scientific precision with conversational lyricism.