On John Casteen

John Casteen is extremely talented, very dedicated, and a marvelous young writer. He always had a raw and edgy talent, an energy and kinetic spirit that were very impressive. Over the course of his time with us at UVA, he smoothed and solidified that talent and energy into finishing poems that were very impressive. He has no fear about tackling big and serious subjects. He has no fear of hard work. He has a real ear for the strong, Anglo-Saxon beat of words; he has a sure hand for keeping them in order and making them sing. A rare combination of intelligence, poetic gift, raw talent, scholarly ability, and hard work have made him into one of the most impressive people to have ever gone through my hands in the undergraduate world. He is destined, I think, for grand things.

—Charles Wright, Pulitzer Prize winner, Souder Family Professor of English, University of Virginia. His most recent book is A Short History of the Shadow: Poems.