Jason Labbe

Born in New Britain, Connecticut, and raised by a machinist and a waitress, Jason Labbe (he/him) earned an MFA from the University of Virginia, where he was a Henry Hoyns Fellow. He is the author of two full-length poetry collections, Spleen Elegy (BlazeVOX, 2017) and Maps for Jackie (BlazeVOX, 2020), as well as several chapbooks. His poems and prose appear in such publications as Poetry, Boston Review, A Public Space, the Brooklyn Rail, Conjunctions, Colorado Review, and DIAGRAM. Labbe also edits and publishes the poetry journal Here.

Ranging from dense, abstract meditations to minimalist lyrics, Labbe’s first two books explore trauma, recovery, and the intersection of the analog realm with digital technology. Dan Beachy-Quick says of Spleen Elegy, “Jason Labbe well knows, as Whitman’s atoms become pixels, we find ourselves at a crossroads, learning again and again the consequences of ‘the indescribable way you shape / a past of little use.’”

Labbe has taught writing at the University of Virginia, the University of Connecticut, and Southern Connecticut State University. Also a drummer and recording engineer, he has worked with recording and performing artists in New England and New York City. He lives with visual artist Melanie Willhide in Bethany, Connecticut.