Judith Harris (poet)

Judith Harris (born 1936) is an American poet, essayist, and literary critic.

Harris's work often explores themes of family, loss, identity, and the natural world. Her poetry is known for its precise imagery, emotional depth, and intellectual rigor. She often blends personal experience with broader cultural and historical contexts.

She has published several collections of poetry, including Signifying Pain: Constructing and Reconstructing the Self in Early Modern England (State University of New York Press, 2003), a work of literary criticism; Poets at Play: Irony and Parody in the Poetry of John Fuller, James Fenton and Gavin Ewart (Susquehanna University Press, 2004); A Low Voice (West Chester University Press, 2012); and The Bad Secret (Tiger Bark Press, 2024).

Harris's poems and essays have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. She has received awards and recognition for her writing. She taught creative writing and literature at various institutions, including George Washington University.

Her critical work also focuses on issues of trauma, representation, and the relationship between literature and history.