Barbara Guest

Who was Barbara Guest?

Barbara Guest née Barbara Ann Pinson was an American poet and prose stylist. Guest first gained recognition as a member of the first generation New York School of poetry.

Born in Wilmington, North Carolina and raised in California, Guest earned a B.A. in General Curriculum-Humanities in 1943 at UC Berkeley. She spent years in New York City where she became involved with the New York School Poets. She was also well known for her book on the poet H.D., Herself Defined: The Poet H.D. and Her World. In 1999, she was awarded the Frost Medal for Lifetime Achievement by the Poetry Society of America.