Dawson grew up in Columbia, Maryland.[1] After earning a B.A. degree at Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Poetry at Ohio State University, she earned a PhD at the University of Cincinnati as the Elliston Fellow in Poetry.[2]
Dawson's first poetry collection, Big-Eyed Afraid (Waywiser Press, 2007), was selected for the 2006 Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize by Mary Jo Salter and was named Best Debut of 2007 by the Contemporary Poetry Review.[3][4] Her second collection, The Small Blades Hurt (Measure Press, 2014), won the 2016 Poets' Prize.[5] A third collection, When Rap Spoke Straight to God, was published by Tin House Books in 2018.[6] Dawson's poems have appeared in many literary journals and anthologies, including Barrow Street,[7] Blackbird,[4] and The Best American Poetry 2008, 2012, and 2015.[2][8][9]
Dawson is known for her innovative use of traditional forms.[10] In 2010 she was alleged by A.E. Stallings to have achieved "something like rock star status" among fellow New Formalist poets and poetry fans.[11] She lives in Tampa, Florida, where she directs the University of Tampa's Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing and serves as poetry editor of the Tampa Review.[4][6]
