Jen Currin is an American/Canadian poet and fiction writer. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, they are currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia and teach creative writing at Kwantlen Polytechnic University."Jen Currin, "In Breath"" . Lambda Literary Foundation, May 9, 2011. Their 2010 collection The Inquisition Yours won the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry in 2011, and was shortlisted for that year's Lambda Literary Award, Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and ReLit Award. Their 2014 collection School was a finalist for the Pat Lowther Award, the Dorothy Livesay Prize, and a ReLit Award. Their most recent poetry collection is Trinity Street (House of Anansi, 2023).
Currin has published two prior poetry collections, The Sleep of Four Cities and Hagiography.. Xtra Vancouver, May 7, 2008.
Their debut short story collection, Hider/Seeker, was published in 2018."Jen Currin's Hider/Seeker story collection captures retreats and search for peace". Toronto Star, June 1, 2018. It was named a Globe and Mail "Top 100" for 2018 and was shortlisted for the 2019 ReLit Award for short fiction."40 books shortlisted for 2019 ReLit Awards". CBC Books, April 12, 2021. In 2024, Currin won the Fred Kerner Book Award for their story collection Disembark. https://canadianauthors.org/national/event/fred-kerner-book-award-2025-winner-announcement/?v=e4b09f3f8402
Personal life They earned a bachelor's degree in English from Bard College, where they studied with John Ashbery, who was their undergraduate thesis advisor. They hold an MFA in creative writing from Arizona State University.
Works The Sleep of Four Cities (2005, Anvil Press). . Hagiography (2008, Coach House Books). . The Inquisition Yours (2010, Coach House Books). . School (2014, Coach House Books). . Hider/Seeker (2018, Anvil Press). . Trinity Street (2023, House of Anansi). . Disembark (2024, House of Anansi). .
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