Judith Moffett Oral History Project

Judith Moffett is a poet, translator of Swedish poetry, and author of eleven books of fiction and non-fiction. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, August 30, 1942, she grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and studied at Hanover College, where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Philosophy. Graduate study at Colorado State University resulted in an M.A. in English, awarded in 1966. Further study at the University of Wisconsin included a seminar with James Ingram Merrill. Judy admired his poetry, and he recognized her talent. Thus began a lifelong correspondence which ended with his death in 1995. He served as a mentor for her two poetry books, Keeping Time, 1976, and Whinny Moor Crossing, 1984.

Moffett received two Fulbright awards to teach and study Swedish poetry in Sweden, and many other grants and awards which led to the publication of two books of translations. She earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, where she taught in the English Department for fifteen years. Moffett's own creative writing resulted in many publications and awards. She taught at Iowa Writers' Workshop, and was awarded fellowships to the Yaddo and MacDowell Writers Colonies, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Later in her career she turned to science fiction, again resulting in many publications and awards. Moffett served as an Instructor in the English Department at the University of Kentucky from 2000-2004. The interviews in the project are a chronological account of Moffett’s career as a writer and an academic.