Midwest: Region Three

Nims, John Frederick

November 20, 1913 — January 13, 1999
Place of Birth: Muskegon, MI
Biography
John Frederick Nims was born to Anne and Frank Nims at Muskegon, MI on November 20, 1913.  Ever since he was a tot, Nims has respected and enjoyed poetry, commenting “ever since the age of six or seven, I thought poems part of the natural world, as real certainly as the rabbits and collies we kept.”  Nims earned his A.B. and M.A. at the University of Notre Dame in 1937 and 1939, respectively, and his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1945.  He has been all over the world teaching English, including schools like the University of Florence, the University of Madrid, the University of Toronto, and Harvard University.  Eventually Nims settled at the University of Illinois, where he spent the rest of his life.  His first book, The Iron Pastoral, was published in 1947 and was inspired by his experience in Chicago.  Nims became a well-known author and translator, earning raving reviews on works such as Knowledge of the Evening and Sappho to Valery: Poems in Translation.  His awards include a National Book Award nomination, several fellowships, and two Fulbright grants.  Nim died on January 13, 1999 in Chicago and was survived by his wife, Bonnie, his three children: Frank, Emily, and Sally, and three grandchildren. 

Selected Works

• The Iron Pastoral (1947)
• A Fountain in Kentucky (1950)
• Knowledge of the Evening (1960)
• The Kiss: A Jambalaya (1982)
• Zany in Denim (1990)
• The Six-Cornered Snowflake and Other Poems (1990)

Nims translated many works, most famously Sappho to Valery: Poems in Translation (1971).  He also wrote several critical works and a well-known textbook: Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry (1983).

Awards

• 1942 Harriet Monroe Memorial Award
• 1943 Guarantors Prize
• 1944 Levinson Prize
• 1982 Distinguished Fellowship, Academy of American Poets
     
• 1952, 1953 Fulbright Grantee
     
• 1958, 1959 Smith Mundt Grantee
     
• 1967-1968 National Foundation Arts and Humanities Grantee
     
• 1968 Award for Creative Writing, American Academy of Arts and Letters
     
• 1974 Creative Arts Citation, Brandeis University
     
• 1986-1987 Guggenheim fellow
     
• 1991 Aiken Taylor Award for Modern Poetry
     
• n/a Nominated for a National Book Award for Knowledge of the Evening

Critical Reception

          For The Complete Poems of Michelangelo:      
• “Wonderful. . . . Nims gives us Michelangelo whole: the polymorphous love sonneteer, the political allegorist, and the solitary singer of           madrigals.”       - Kirkus Reviews
     
• “A splendid, fresh and eloquent translation. . . . Nims, an eminent poet and among the best translators of our time, conveys the full meaning and           message of Michelangelo’s love sonnets and religious poems in fluently rhymed, metrical forms.”         - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
     
• “The best so far. . . . Nims is best at capturing the sound and sense of Michelangelo’s poetic vocabulary.”         - Choice
     
• “Surely the most compelling translations of Michelangelo currently available in English.”         - Washington Times

Okkonen, Marc

July 21, 1933—
Place of Birth: Muskegon, MI

Place of Principal Residence: Muskegon, MI

Biography
Okkonen was born to Ida and Jacob Okkonen in Muskegon, MI on July 21, 1933.  He served for several years in the U.S. army before attending school, earning his B.A. in Literature, Science, and the Arts from the University of Michigan in Dearborn in 1970. Okkonen went on to work as a technical illustrator, graphic artist, and writer for various Technical and Promotional Literature. He now resides in Muskegon as a historian researcher, writer, and artist. 

Selected Works

• The Federal League of 1914-1915: Baseball’s Third Major League (1989)
• Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century: The Official Major League Baseball Guide(1991)
• The Baseball Memories scrapbook series (1992, 1993, 1994)
• Muskegon Stories(1998)

Critical Reception

          For Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century:The Official Major League Baseball Guide:      
• “YA—A brilliant array of major league baseball uniforms from 1900-1991 crowds the pages of this unique sports history. With its high proportion of           full-color photographs, it’s an invaluable resource for long-standing veterans of the game as well as recently converted devotees. The evolution           of uniforms is fascinating to peruse.”       - School Library Journal
     
• “Okkonen, a baseball historian and illustrator, has compiled the first complete record of 20th-century major league baseball uniforms … The text           is clear and lively, but the graphics are so small it is difficult to discern color variations and patterns. The work’s historical value would be           greatly increased if descriptions of the uniforms were provided. Indexing is minimal. This is essential for collections specializing in baseball           history, and useful for public libraries or where demand warrants.”         - Library Journal

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Okkonen worked to publish many informational pamphlets for the Muskegon area. His baseball passions sometimes intersect with his home state, as in Minor League Baseball Towns of Michigan(1997).

Opalek, Tamera L.

October 19, 1964—

Place of Birth:Muskegon, MI

Place of Principal Residence: Muskegon, MI

Biography
Tamera Opalek was born on October 19, 1964 to Richard J. Opalek and Joy L. Opalek-Anderman.  She received a Child Development Certificate from Muskegon Community College, a BA in History at Western Michigan University, and an Elementary Education BA at Grand Valley State University.  Opalek publishes her own work.  Alongside of her writing, she works as a substitute teacher for Muskegon County and as a retail clerk for Meijer in Muskegon.

Selected Works

• U.S. Naval War Memorial (1993)
• Companion of Local History for Young and Old (2000)

Opalek also wrote articles for The Muskegon Chronicle.  She is a member of the American Association for State and Local History, Western Dunes Reading Council, International Society of Experimental Artists, Muskegon Fine Arts Guild, and HOSTS for Kindergarten Reader.

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Opalek reports that she collects oral histories of veterans in Muskegon County.  As can be seen in her biography, she has spent most of her life in Muskegon and her research and writing of history reflect her interest in the area.

Pederson, Miriam E.

January 5, 1948

Place of Birth:  Windom, MN

Place of Principle Residence:  Grand Rapids, MI

Biography:
Miriam E. Pederson was born to Regina and Gordon Kling in Windom, MN.  She graduated with a BA from Bethel College in 1966 and taught for several years in secondary education as an English teacher.  In 1981 she went back to school at Western Michigan University, earning her MFA in creative writing.  Since 1983 she has taught at Aquinas College as a professor of English, specializing in creative writing and literature.  Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including New Poems from the Third Coast.  Besides teaching and writing, Pederson gives poetry workshops and presentations to local schools and groups.  Recently her poems have been on display in local and regional galleries in collaboration with her husband’s (Ron) sculpture.  She lives in Grand Rapids Michigan with her husband and has two children, Benjamin and Madeline.

Selected Works:

     
• This Brief Light (2003)
     
• The Third Coast (1990)
     
• Primavera (1981)

Awards:

     
• 1984, 1985 Cranbrook Writers’ Conference Scholarship
     
• 1984 Winner of Kent County Poetry Competition
     
• 1989, 1990 Faculty Development Grants, Aquinas College
     
• 1997 Honorable Mention - “Renaissance Garden Exhibition,” Grand Rapids Art Museum (poetry in collaboration with sculpture by Dana Freeman)

Critical Reception:
Pederson has received several honors and awards, including an Honorable Mention at the Grand Rapids Art museum and Faculty Development Grants at Aquinas College.

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Pederson is a professor at Aquinas College, teaches workshops at local schools, and has won several awards from the Grand Rapids area.  In addition, she has had her poetry displayed galleries both in Grand Rapids and the Michigan region with her husband’s sculptures.

 

Peterson, Wilfred Arlan

August 21, 1900 - June 2, 1995

Place of Birth:  Whitehall, MI

Place of Principle Residence:  Grand Rapids, MI

Biography:
Wilfred Arlan Peterson was born to Peter and Elsie Peterson in Whitehall, MI.  He graduated from Muskegon High School and took extension coursed from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.  From 1928 to 1965 Peterson worked as a creative direction and vice-president for Jaqua advertising, and in addition served on the advisory board for Sunshine Magazine and the editorial board of Science of the Min Magazine.  His inspirational essays first appeared on the “Words to Live By” page of This Week Magazine in 1960, which was in 42 metropolitan Sunday newspapers, reaching over 13 million readers.  Shortly after Peterson published his first book, The Art of Living, which quickly turned into a series.  Eventually William J. Nicholas, editor of This Week Magazine, recorded Peterson’s first book into an album.  In the course of thirty-seven years Peterson published ten books, which were translated into six different languages.  His work was said to “save marriages,” and many readers affectionately esteemed him.  Between 1970 to 1980 Peterson’s essays were made into greeting cards, calendars, and gift books and appeared in Hallmark stores.  Peterson was married to his wife for fifty-eight years, before she passed away.  He attributed her to being the inspiration of his books.  For the majority of his life, Peterson lived in Grand Rapids Michigan, and had one daughter, Lilian.

Selected Works:

     
• The Art of Creative Thinking (1991)
     
• The Art of Living Day by Day (1972)
     
• The Art of Living (1961)

Awards:

     
• 1958 George Washington Medal, Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge
     
• 1963 Silver Medal Award, Advertising Federation of America, National Advertising Man of the Year

Critical Reception:
“One of the best loved American writers of the 20th century, renowned for his inspirational wisdom and aphoristic wit.”
- Independent Publishers Group

For The Art of Marriage:

“[The] most frequently recited English-language wedding poems and one of the greatest odes to matrimony. It embodies the sentiments, the ideals, and the love to which any marriage aspires. The memorable simplicity of its language makes the poem a touchstone for all couples, both at the start of a relationship and after the blessings of a lifetime in love.”
- Souvenir Press

Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Peterson spent all of his life in Michigan, living the majority of it in Grand Rapids, MI. 

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