Seaborn Jones
poet
- October 3, 2014
- 71 years
About Seaborn Jones
Seaborn Jones, 71, American poet.
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Full Biography
|Seaborn Gustavus Jones (October 10, 1942 - October 3, 2014) was an American poet. He was the author of several books of poetry.
Life and writing
Jones was born in Macon, Georgia on October 10, 1942 and died October 3, 2014. He was named after a family forebear, 19th-century Congressman Seaborn Jones.
He was educated in Macon public schools, attended Mercer University, and was a former United States Marine. At one time, Jones was Lighting and Technical Director for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, was a certified zookeeper, and was a teacher of poetry in Macon and San Francisco.
Jones was published in the Chattahoochee Review, New York Quarterly, Pearl, River Styx, Rockhurst Review, Southern Poetry Review, Bogg, Poetry New Zealand, Studio One, Wilshire Review, Louisiana Review and numerous other journals, including translations of his work for European publications. His poems have been anthologized in 80 on the 80s (Ashland Poetry Press, 1990), Scorched Hands (Pariah Press), Chester H. Jones Foundation National Poetry Contest Winners 1993, and in Java Monkey Speaks Anthology 3 in 2008.
His published books of poetry include Drowning From the Inside Out, Lost Keys, X-Ray Movies, Black Champagne, Getaway Car in Reverse, and Going Farther into the Woods than the Woods Go, the latter nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry.
Jones described his poems as "architectural," explaining: "I write down the mood or phrase in a notebook and build on it. Some poems seem to just roll out with no effort. I can only assume that these poems have been incubating in my unconscious and have percolated to the conscious. Everything requires rewriting."
I lean more toward Democritus' view that poetry is "traced to the poet's invocation with the Muse" than Pindar's view that "poetry is an acquired skill." My problem is that I don't know where my Muse is half the time. It's like being married to someone who says she's going to the store, then disappears for days only to return with no explanation, then wanders off again.
— Seaborn Jones, 2009.,
Recognition
Seaborn Jones received the Georgia Author of the Year Award in poetry in 1998 for his book X-Ray Movies.
Jones received three International Merit Awards from Atlanta Review.
He won the Violet Reed Haas Prize for Poetry from Snake Nation Press, and was selected as the 1991 Alan Collins Scholar in Poetry at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference.
Online magazine PoetryNet made him its Poet of the Month in July 2009.
He was selected as a Scholar by the Broadleaf Writers Association.
In 2010 Mercer University Press awarded him the Adrienne Bond Award for Poetry for his manuscript, Going Farther into the Woods than the Woods Go. The citation accompanying the award read: "Unlike any poet writing in the South, Seaborn Jones maintains a figurative connection to surrealism, one of the essential pathways of subjectivity in American Art."
Publications
- Drowning from the Inside Out Cherry Valley, NY; Cherry Valley Editions, 1981. Afterword by William Dickey. ISBN 978-0-916156-52-7
- X-Ray Movies Georgia Arts Council, (1988/1998?)
- Lost Keys Valdosta, GA: Snake Nation Press, 1996. ISBN 978-0-9638364-4-1
- Getaway Car in Reverse Steam Iron Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1-4243-1520-8
- Black Champagne Middle Georgia College.
- Going Farther into the Woods than the Woods Go Mercer U P, 2011.
Except where noted, bibliographic information courtesy SeabornJones.com.
Discography
- The Worlds of Seaborn Jones. (Spoken word audiobook) (Senate Records/Sociology Publishing, 2008)
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Articles & News
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaborn_Jones_(poet)
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Seaborn Jones's archived record and the sources above.
1.Where was the American poet Seaborn Gustavus Jones born?
- A.Atlanta, Georgia
- B.Savannah, Georgia
- C.Augusta, Georgia
- D.Macon, Georgiacorrect
Seaborn Jones was born in Macon, Georgia, on October 10, 1942.
Source: Life and writing section
2.Which of the following books by Seaborn Jones was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry?
- A.Going Farther into the Woods than the Woods Gocorrect
- B.Lost Keys
- C.Drowning From the Inside Out
- D.Black Champagne
The book Going Farther into the Woods than the Woods Go was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry.
Source: Life and writing section
3.Before his career as a poet, which role did Seaborn Jones hold in the military?
- A.United States Air Force pilot
- B.United States Navy sailor
- C.United States Army soldier
- D.United States Marinecorrect
Seaborn Jones was a former United States Marine.
Source: Life and writing section
4.For which specific book did Seaborn Jones receive the Georgia Author of the Year Award in 1998?
- A.X-Ray Moviescorrect
- B.Black Champagne
- C.Drowning from the Inside Out
- D.Lost Keys
Seaborn Jones received the Georgia Author of the Year Award in poetry in 1998 for his book X-Ray Movies.
Source: Recognition section
5.Seaborn Jones worked as the Lighting and Technical Director for which television program?
- A.Sesame Street
- B.Mister Rogers' Neighborhoodcorrect
- C.The Electric Company
- D.Captain Kangaroo
At one time, Seaborn Jones was the Lighting and Technical Director for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
Source: Life and writing section
6.Seaborn Jones claimed he leaned toward the view of which philosopher regarding the origin of poetry?
- A.Aristotle
- B.Democrituscorrect
- C.Plato
- D.Pindar
Seaborn Jones stated he leaned toward Democritus' view that poetry is traced to the poet's invocation with the Muse.
Source: Life and writing section
7.Which institution awarded Seaborn Jones the Adrienne Bond Award for Poetry in 2010?
- A.Mercer University Presscorrect
- B.Steam Iron Press
- C.Snake Nation Press
- D.Ashland Poetry Press
In 2010, Mercer University Press awarded Seaborn Jones the Adrienne Bond Award for Poetry.
Source: Recognition section
8.Who was the family forebear that Seaborn Jones was named after?
- A.A 19th-century judge
- B.A 19th-century soldier
- C.A 19th-century explorer
- D.A 19th-century Congressmancorrect
Seaborn Jones was named after a family forebear, 19th-century Congressman Seaborn Jones.
Source: Life and writing section
9.In which city did Seaborn Jones teach poetry besides Macon?
- A.San Franciscocorrect
- B.Seattle
- C.Atlanta
- D.New York City
Seaborn Jones was a teacher of poetry in Macon and San Francisco.
Source: Life and writing section
10.How many International Merit Awards from the Atlanta Review did Seaborn Jones receive?
- A.One
- B.Threecorrect
- C.Two
- D.Four
Seaborn Jones received three International Merit Awards from Atlanta Review.
Source: Recognition section
11.Which title was bestowed upon Seaborn Jones by PoetryNet in July 2009?
- A.Poet of the Monthcorrect
- B.Featured Scholar
- C.Guest Editor
- D.Writer of the Year
Online magazine PoetryNet made Seaborn Jones its Poet of the Month in July 2009.
Source: Recognition section
12.What unusual professional certification did Seaborn Jones hold?
- A.Lifeguard
- B.Zookeepercorrect
- C.Blacksmith
- D.Pilot
Seaborn Jones was a certified zookeeper.
Source: Life and writing section
13.At which writers' conference was Seaborn Jones selected as the 1991 Alan Collins Scholar in Poetry?
- A.Key West Literary Seminar
- B.Sewanee Writers' Conference
- C.Bread Loaf Writers' Conferencecorrect
- D.Iowa Writers' Workshop
Seaborn Jones was selected as the 1991 Alan Collins Scholar in Poetry at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference.
Source: Recognition section
14.What is the name of the spoken word audiobook released by Seaborn Jones in 2008?
- A.The World According to Jones
- B.Poetry from the Woods
- C.The Worlds of Seaborn Jonescorrect
- D.Seaborn Jones Speaks
The spoken word audiobook released in 2008 is titled The Worlds of Seaborn Jones.
Source: Discography section
15.Which award did Seaborn Jones win from Snake Nation Press?
- A.The Adrienne Bond Award
- B.Violet Reed Haas Prize for Poetrycorrect
- C.The Georgia Author Award
- D.The Ashland Poetry Press Award
Seaborn Jones won the Violet Reed Haas Prize for Poetry from Snake Nation Press.
Source: Recognition section
16.What did Seaborn Jones write in a notebook to help build his poems?
- A.A summary of the theme
- B.The ending line
- C.The mood or phrasecorrect
- D.The title
Seaborn Jones described his process by saying he wrote down the mood or phrase in a notebook and built on it.
Source: Life and writing section
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