Anne Shaw is an American poet and visual artist who also publishes as Alix Anne Shaw. This Anne Shaw poet MFA biography for 2026 covers her degrees, her three poetry collections, and her career so far. The short answer: she holds an MFA in poetry from George Mason University and an MFA in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Quick Overview of Anne Shaw
| Profile Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Alix Anne Shaw (also publishes as Anne Shaw) |
| Profession | Poet, sculptor and visual artist |
| Best known for | Undertow, Dido in Winter and Rough Ground |
| MFA in poetry | George Mason University |
| MFA in sculpture | School of the Art Institute of Chicago |
| Debut book | Undertow (Persea Books, 2007; one directory lists 2008) |
| Major prize | Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Prize for Undertow |
| Second book | Dido in Winter (Persea Books, 2014) |
| Third book | Rough Ground (Etruscan Press, 2018) |
| Other recognition | Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Poetry (Green Integer Press) |
| Raised in | Michigan (per the Poets & Writers directory) |
| Based in | Chicago and Milwaukee (per her Poets.org biography) |
| Date of birth and age | Not publicly confirmed |
| Official website | anneshaw.org |
Who Is Anne Shaw the Poet
Anne Shaw is a poet and visual artist whose books were published by Persea Books and Etruscan Press. She uses two versions of her name, Anne Shaw and Alix Anne Shaw, across bios and journals. The Poets & Writers directory lists her as raised in Michigan and connected to Chicago. Her own website, anneshaw.org, collects her writing and visual art. Her style is experimental and playful with language. According to Poets.org, the poet Kazim Ali described her poems as wild and unbothered by polite rules of language.
Anne Shaw Poet MFA Biography: Education and Degrees
Education is the most searched part of this Anne Shaw poet MFA biography, so here are the facts. Her Poets.org biography says she earned an MFA in poetry from George Mason University and an MFA in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. One bio tied to a book event at Woodland Pattern Book Center in Milwaukee calls the George Mason degree an MFA in writing. The wording changes from one bio to the next, so the safest label is the MFA in poetry used by Poets.org. An older author page from the University of Arizona Poetry Center described her as a graduate student of writing and sculpture at the Chicago school. That is why the Anne Shaw School of the Art Institute of Chicago MFA appears in so many searches. Her Anne Shaw poet education MFA path covers both literature and visual art. No graduation years appear in the public bios I found.
Alix Anne Shaw MFA at George Mason University
The official bio on Poets.org, run by the Academy of American Poets, names George Mason University as the school for her poetry degree. The same wording appears in her Drunken Boat contributor note. Readers who search for the Alix Anne Shaw MFA poetry George Mason University record will find the same answer in every official bio. The Anne Shaw poet MFA degree from George Mason is the writing side of her training. Her sculpture degree supports the visual side of her work. The two fields often show up together in her projects.
Anne Shaw Also Known as Alix Anne Shaw
Many readers search for Alix Anne Shaw formerly Anne Shaw. The sources show one author using both names, with the same books listed under each. A Harvard Review contributor page headed Anne Shaw opens its bio with the name Alix Anne Shaw. A Poets & Writers entry and a Fishouse biography use Anne Shaw for the same body of work. So the Anne Shaw poet also known as Alix Anne Shaw is a single writer. The sources I found do not explain why the name changed, so this Anne Shaw poet MFA biography does not guess at a reason.
Undertow and the Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Prize
Undertow was her first book, published by Persea Books. Poets.org gives the year as 2007, while one directory lists 2008. The book won the Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Prize, which is run through Persea. Readers looking up Anne Shaw Undertow will see this prize in almost every bio. The prize put her on the map as a poet with a distinct and daring voice.
Anne Shaw Dido in Winter
Dido in Winter is her second collection, also from Persea Books, published in 2014. Her Drunken Boat bio says Library Journal named it one of the five best poetry collections of 2014. Searches for Anne Shaw Dido in Winter usually come from readers who found the book first and the poet second. Her bios list it right after Undertow in every bibliography. It confirmed that her debut was no accident.
Rough Ground and the Wittgenstein Project
Rough Ground is her third collection, published by Etruscan Press in 2018. Bios describe it as a translation of Wittgenstein’s Tractatus from philosophy into poetry. Part of the project first appeared as Contingent, a chapbook from Damask Press. A release event for the book was listed at Woodland Pattern Book Center in Milwaukee, alongside the poet Toby Altman. The book shows how her interest in philosophy feeds her poems.
Poems, Reviews and Journal Credits
Her poems and reviews have appeared in Harvard Review, Denver Quarterly, New American Writing, The Los Angeles Review, Fence and Crab Orchard Review. Black Warrior Review is also named in several bios, which explains the searches linking the poet, her MFA and that journal. The Poets & Writers directory also lists Subtropics, Barrow Street, Court Green and Verse among her publications. That range of journals shows steady work over many years.
Visual Art and the Twitter Poetry Project
The Poets & Writers directory calls her the founder of the Twitter Poetry Project, an online poem. She is also described as a sculptor and visual artist in her Harvard Review note. One contributor bio points readers to an interactive dream archive at otherpeoplesdreams.net, which she invites others to add to. It fits her habit of mixing poetry, art and online projects.
Teaching and Where She Lives Now
A Fishouse biography lists her as assistant professor of English at Franklin Pierce University. That page was last modified in 2017, so her current teaching post is not confirmed for 2026. Her Poets.org biography says she lives in Chicago and Milwaukee. Bios change often, so any profile of her, including this one, should be checked against her official site before you rely on it for new details.
Career Achievements and Highlights
Her career moves from a prize winning debut to a bold philosophical project. Here are the dated milestones found in public bios.
- 2007: Undertow is published by Persea Books and wins the Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Prize (one directory lists 2008).
- 2012: She appears in the anthology A Face to Meet the Faces from University of Akron Press.
- 2014: Dido in Winter is published and named a Library Journal top five poetry collection.
- 2018: Rough Ground is published by Etruscan Press.
- Undated: She receives a Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Poetry from Green Integer Press. Taken together, these milestones round out the Anne Shaw poet MFA biography with three books across eleven years.
Conclusion
The Anne Shaw poet MFA biography comes down to a poet and sculptor with two MFA degrees, three collections and a long list of journal credits. Whether you search for Anne Shaw or Alix Anne Shaw, the record points to the same author. Her three books appeared with Persea Books and Etruscan Press between 2007 and 2018. For the latest details, check her official website and publisher pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Anne Shaw poetMFA biography?
Anne Shaw, also published as Alix Anne Shaw, is a poet and visual artist. She holds an MFA in poetry from George Mason University and an MFA in sculpture from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Where did Anne Shaw earn her MFA degrees?
Her Poets.org biography names George Mason University for poetry and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for sculpture.
Are Anne Shaw and Alix Anne Shaw the same poet?
Yes. Bios from Poets.org, Harvard Review, Poets & Writers and Fishouse list the same books under both names.
What books has Anne Shaw written?
She wrote Undertow (Persea Books, 2007), Dido in Winter (Persea Books, 2014) and Rough Ground (Etruscan Press, 2018).
What prize did Anne Shaw win for Undertow?
Undertow won the Lexi Rudnitsky Poetry Prize.
Where does Anne Shaw live?
Her Poets.org biography says she lives in Chicago and Milwaukee. This may change, so confirm with her official site.
