Noah Eli Gordon was a poet, editor, and publisher who died suddenly in July 2022 at the age of 47. His death was announced by his mother on Facebook, but the cause of death was not disclosed. He left behind a legacy of literary achievements and contributions, as well as many friends and colleagues who mourned his loss.
Life and Career
Noah Eli Gordon was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1975. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a BA in English and a minor in philosophy. He then earned his MFA in creative writing from the University of Iowa, where he was a teaching assistant and a poetry editor for the Iowa Review.
Gordon was the co-publisher of Letter Machine Editions, an editor for The Volta, and an assistant professor in the MFA program in creative writing at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he directed Subito Press and Braincase Press. He was also a founding editor of the literary magazine Baffling Combustions.
Gordon published several books of poetry, including Is That the Sound of a Piano Coming from Several Houses Down? (2018), The Word Kingdom in the Word Kingdom (2015), The Year of the Rooster (2013), The Source (2011), Novel Pictorial Noise (2007), and Inbox (2006). His poetry was influenced by various sources, such as music, visual arts, philosophy, and language. He also wrote essays, reviews, criticism, and creative nonfiction that appeared in journals and anthologies, such as Bookforum, Seneca Review, Boston Review, Fence, Hambone, Postmodern American Poetry, A Broken Thing: Poets on the Line, Against Expression: An Anthology of Conceptual Writing, Poets on Teaching, and Burning Interiors: David Shapiro’s Poetry and Poetics.
Gordon received several awards and honors for his work, such as the San Francisco State Poetry Center Book Award, the National Poetry Series Open Competition, the Green Rose Prize, the Greg Gummer Poetry Award, the Sawtooth Poetry Prize, the Glosband Fellowship, and the Jarrell Poetry Prize.
Reactions and Tributes
Gordon’s death was met with shock and sadness by the literary community. Many poets, writers, editors, and teachers expressed their condolences and appreciation for his work and personality on social media and other platforms. Some of the comments were:
- “Noah Eli Gordon was such a charismatic presence and part of the bedrock of American poetry as my generation has known it. Irreplaceable. My heart goes out to his family.” – Joshua Carey, poet and author, on Twitter.
- “His class is why I ever started writing poetry in the first place. He wrote me a recommendation letter when I applied for a job at the writing center. Devastated by this news.” – A former student, on Twitter.
- “He was a great poet, a fine teacher, and an important member of our community. He will be deeply missed by all of us.” – Jeffrey N. Cox, distinguished professor and chair of English at CU Boulder, in an email to the department.
- “Noah was a generous, kind, and brilliant person. He was always supportive of other writers and editors, and he had a unique and playful voice that enriched the world of poetry. I will miss him terribly.” – Jennifer Tamayo, poet and editor, on Facebook.
