Local Poet Rick Chess' Work Included in National Spiritual Writing Anthology

“Kaddish,” a poem by local author Rick Chess has been selected for inclusion in “The Best American Spiritual Writing 2005.” The hardcover and paperback edition of the book published by Houghton Mifflin was released earlier this month and includes entries from 34 authors, including Huston Smith, Bill McKibben, Edward Hirsch and Philip Levine. The annual anthology has been the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest spiritual short fiction and nonfiction since 1915.

A prolific writer, Chess has published two books of poetry, “Tekiah” (University of Georgia Press 1994; University of Tampa Press 2002) and “Chair in the Desert (University of Tampa Press 2000). His poems are included in more than 50 literary journal and anthologies, and his scholarly essays have been published in several noted journals. His third book, tentatively titled “Seventy Faces,” is forthcoming from the University of Tampa Press either in fall 2005 or spring 2006.

Chess is director of UNC Asheville’s Center for Jewish Studies and associate professor of literature and language. Chess joined UNC Asheville’s faculty in 1989 and teaches a host of courses in poetry, creative writing and Jewish studies, as well as classes for the Honors and Master of Liberal Arts programs and the College for Seniors. He has also served on the faculty of Warren Wilson College’s MFA Program for Writers and is a member of the arts faculty of the Brandeis Bardin Institute.

Media Contacts:

• Dr. Richard Chess, UNC Asheville Center for Jewish Studies Director, 828/251-6576
• Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526