Lesley Wheeler-Dame (professionally known as Lesley Wheeler) is an American poet, literary critic, and academic. She is recognized for her numerous collections of poetry and her scholarly contributions to the study of American women poets and the performance of poetry. Wheeler currently holds the position of Henry Rutgers Professor of English at Washington and Lee University.
Biography and Career
Lesley Wheeler-Dame completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Kansas. She pursued her graduate education at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned both her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.Her academic career has centered on literary criticism, with a focus on 20th and 21st-century American poetry, poetics, and gender studies. Prior to her appointment at Washington and Lee University, Wheeler held various academic positions, developing her expertise in these fields. As the Henry Rutgers Professor of English, she teaches courses in poetry, creative writing, and literary theory.
As a poet, Wheeler's work frequently explores themes such as domesticity, sound, landscape, history, and the intricate connections between personal experience and broader cultural narratives. Her poetry is characterized by its lyrical precision, intellectual depth, and a consistent engagement with philosophical and cultural questions.
Works
Wheeler's bibliography encompasses several acclaimed poetry collections and significant critical studies:Poetry Collections
- The State She's In (2000)
- Heterotopia (2007)
- Radioland (Ohio State University Press/The Journal Award in Poetry, 2015)
- The Republic of Anesthesia (2019)
- The Listener's Soundscape (2022)
- Poetry's Possible Worlds (2023)
Critical Works
- The Poetics of Enclosure: American Women Poets and the "Domestic" from Dickinson to H.D. (University of Tennessee Press, 2002)
- Voicing American Poetry: Sound and Performance from the 1930s to the Present (University of Alabama Press, 2008)
Awards and Recognition
Wheeler has been the recipient of several honors and grants throughout her career, acknowledging her literary and scholarly achievements. Notable among these are:- The Money for Women/Barbara Deming Memorial Fund Grant
- Fellowships from the Virginia Commission for the Arts
- The Ohio State University Press/The Journal Award in Poetry, awarded for her collection Radioland
Her poetry and critical essays have been widely published in prominent literary journals and anthologies, establishing her as a respected voice in contemporary American letters.