Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Syracuse University Community Members Honored at 2018 YMCA CNY Book Awards

Monday, November 19, 2018, By Joyce LaLonde
Share
Stephen Kuusisto (right) with Phil Memmer, executive director of the Arts Branch of the YMCA of Greater Syracuse, and Corky.

Stephen Kuusisto (right) with Phil Memmer, executive director of the Arts Branch of the YMCA of Greater Syracuse, and Corky.

Two members of the Syracuse University community recently received awards at the 2018 YMCA Central New York (CNY) Book Awards. Christine Kitano G’10 and Stephen Kuusisto, University Professor, won the 2018 YMCA CNY Book Award for Poetry and Nonfiction, respectively.

Kitano won for “Sky Country” (BOA Editions, 2017), her second collection of poetry, which draws on real and imagined immigration experiences of Kitano’s family to elicit an intense longing for home. Kitano’s grandmothers fled Korea and Japan, and her father was a Japanese American incarcerated during WWII.

Kitano is a 2010 graduate of the Masters of Fine Arts program in creative writing in the College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to “Sky Country,” Kitano has authored “Birds of Paradise” (Lynx House Press, 2011). She is an assistant professor of creative writing, poetry, and Asian American literature at Ithaca College.

Kuusisto won the 2018 YMCA CNY Book Award for Nonfiction with his memoir “Have Dog, Will Travel: A Poet’s Journey” (Simon & Schuster, 2018). The book portrays how the process of training for a guide dog and incorporating Corky—Kuusisto’s dog—into his life changed Kuusisto in major ways, spiritually and psychologically.

Christine Kitano

Christine Kitano

In addition to “Have Dog, Will Travel,” Kuusisto has authored two previous memoirs—“Eavesdropping: A Memoir of Blindness and Listening” (W.W. Norton & Co., 2006) and “Planet of the Blind: A Memoir” (Random House, 1997)—and the poetry collections “Letters to Borges” (Copper Canyon Press, 2013) and “Only Bread, Only Light” (Copper Canyon Press, 2000).

He is a professor of disability studies in the School of Education and previously served as director of The Renée Crown University Honors Program. As announced earlier this month, Kuusisto will be joining the Burton Blatt Institute to launch a new initiative, Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach.

Syracuse University had a strong showing in the nominee and finalist lists for the three award categories: fiction, poetry and nonfiction. Two of those finalists were Jonathan Dee, assistant professor of English, for “The Locals” (Random House, 2017) in the fiction category, and Sean M. Conrey, associate director of Project Advance and part-time assistant professor of English, for “The Book of Trees” (Saint Julian Press, 2017) in the poetry category.

  • Author

Joyce LaLonde

  • Recent
  • Syracuse Stage Announces Changes to the 2020/2021 Season
    Sunday, January 17, 2021, By Joanna Penalva
  • Hehnly Lab Awarded $1.2M NIH Grant to Research Critical Tissue Formation
    Sunday, January 17, 2021, By Dan Bernardi
  • Important Information Regarding Proof of Eligibility for and Access to the COVID Vaccine
    Saturday, January 16, 2021, By News Staff
  • COVID-19 Update: Vaccination | Testing | Important Reminders | Zoom Sessions
    Friday, January 15, 2021, By News Staff
  • Important Update: Spring 2021 Pre-Arrival Testing Requirements (Students from New York State and contiguous states)
    Thursday, January 14, 2021, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

Important Information Regarding Proof of Eligibility for and Access to the COVID Vaccine

Dear Faculty, Instructors and Graduate Teaching Assistants: We are writing to provide you new information from the Onondaga County Health Department related to the COVID-19 vaccination distribution process. Eligibility Reminder At this time, per the New York State Department of…

COVID-19 Update: Vaccination | Testing | Important Reminders | Zoom Sessions

Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Families: The start of the spring semester is quickly approaching, and many in our community are working diligently to prepare for the return of our students and to safely resume in-person teaching and learning. We…

Important Update: Spring 2021 Pre-Arrival Testing Requirements (Students from New York State and contiguous states)

Dear Students and Families: We are writing as a follow-up to yesterday’s return to campus message, to provide detailed guidance concerning the pre-arrival testing requirements and procedures. Important: The New York State Department of Health policy regarding travel, testing and…

Important Update: Spring 2021 Pre-Arrival Testing and Quarantine Requirements (Students from all states non-contiguous to New York State and international locations)

Dear Students and Families: We are writing as a follow-up to yesterday’s return to campus message, to provide detailed guidance concerning the pre-arrival testing requirements and quarantine procedures. Important: The New York State Department of Health policy regarding travel, testing…

Students and Families Invited to Participate in Zoom Sessions to Discuss Return to Campus Planning

Syracuse University will hold a series of virtual information sessions for students and families to answer questions regarding the return to campus for the Spring 2021 semester. The sessions will feature University leaders and subject matter experts speaking on issues…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.