Poets
Abbott, Dr. O. Lawrence
July 19 1900—November, 1978
Place of Birth: Conesville, IA
Place of Principal Residence: East Lansing, MI
Biography
Orville Lawrence Abbott was born to I.S. and Nan Abbott in Conesville, IA on July 19, 1900. He attended the University of Northern Iowa where he earned his Bachelors Degree in 1923. Abbot went on to get his Masters at the University of Iowa in 1928 and worked as a high school teacher before going back to school. In 1953 he earned his PhD from Michigan State University and was hired there as an associate professor of foreign languages. Both Abbott and his wife, Margaret, enjoyed writing poetry, publishing their work in newspapers and magazines. Yet it was not until Abbott reached his sixties that the couple co-authored two books. In addition to their writing they had three children: Helen, Jane, and John. Abbott passed away in November of 1978.
Selected Works
- Matched Pair (1963)
- Beyond Now (1968)
Awards
- 1964 Michigan Poets Award following the poem “Matched Pair”
- Listed in Michigan Authors, 2nd ed. in 1980
Baxter, Charles
May 19,1947—
Place of Birth: Minneapolis, MN
Place of Principal Residence: Ann Arbor, MI
Biography
Charles Baxter was born to John and Mary Baxter in Minneapolis, MN on May 19, 1947. His Father died when he was a baby and his mother remarried a wealthy attorney, on whose posh home Baxter spent much of his childhood in isolation. Baxter earned his BA at Macalester College and his PhD in 1974 at University of Buffalo. During his years as a student, Baxter experimented with poetry before moving on to fiction. It took several years for Baxter to adjust himself to the customary literary criticism. Baxter temporarily gave up fiction for academic writing when editors and readers spurned his first three books. But after working for a time with short stories, he slowly built up an impressive repertoire of novels. Baxter was a Professor of Writing at the University of Minnesota from 1974 – 1988, and is now the Creative Writing director at University of Michigan. He currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI with his wife Martha, and has one son, Daniel.
Selected Works
Novels:
- First Light (1987)
- Shadow Play (1993)
- Feast of Love (2000)
- Saul and Patsy (2003)
Poems:
- “Imaginary Paintings” (1999)
- “The South Dakota Guidebook” (1974)
- “Chameleon” (1970)
Short Story/Essay Collections:
- Harmony of the World (1984)
- Through the Safety Net (1985)
- Gryphon (1985)
- A Relative Stranger (1990)
- Believers (1997)
- Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction (1997)
Awards
- 1982 Lawrence Foundation Award
- 1983 National Endowment for the Arts Grant
- 1984 Michigan Council for the Arts Grant
- 1985-86 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 1991 Lawrence Foundation Award
- 1991 Arts Foundation of Michigan Award
- 1992-95 Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Foundation Fellowship
- 1993 Michigan Author of the Year Award
- The 1994 Cohen Award for the best essay published in Ploughshares
- The 1994 Daniel A. Pollack-Harvard Review award to Shadow Play
- The 1994 Gettysburg Review nonfiction prose award for
- 1995 Ohio University Spring Literary Festival Honoree
- The 1997 Award in Literature, American Academy of Arts and Letters
- 2000 National Book Award (Finalist) for The Feast of Love
Critical Reception
For Saul and Patsy
“Much like the episodic nature of his other works, including Feast of Love, Baxter weaves much more of a philosophical tale than a plot-driven one. But it is a tale worth telling, and well worth reading. As an author, Baxter possesses a unique gift of making real life rather interesting without sensationalizing it. Therein lies Saul and Patsy’s success, as a book with an indelible culminating effect - providing a genuine revelation for both the characters within and, quite likely, for the reader as well.”
- MostlyFiction
For The Soul Thief
“The final twist to the tale is anticlimactic. Yes, writers are the most unrepentant soul thieves of all. They lift details from the lives of others with light-fingered ease. But when the story is well-told, no one notices or cares. It’s only when the theft is clumsy and the story misshapen that people can spot the crime. In this case, Baxter has been caught red-handed.
- New York Daily News
“Pros: Baxter’s ethereal writing and witty mockery of academic intelligentsia reinforce his decidedly creepy story of identity theft. This novel strongly recalls Patricia Highsmith’s sordid tales about the sociopathic Tom Ripley.
Cons: An unconvincing confrontation in the book’s final half belies the emotional depth charges of the first act, and a last-minute twist undermines the book’s cohesion.
Final word: An intriguing opening act and a pair of deeply flawed characters heighten this fractured cautionary tale about the dangers of becoming persona non grata.”
- Rocky Mountain News
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Although Baxter’s received his PhD from University of Buffalo and currently resides in Minneapolis, his writing reflects his native Midwest, often in the semi-rural, imaginary town of Five Oaks, Michigan. Baxter has created tales about the mostly small-town, small-time lives of teachers, salesmen, students, dropouts, and even an astrophysicist.
Brinkman, Michael W.
February 23, 1943 -
Place of Birth: Milwaukee, WI
Place of Principal Residence: Alpena, MI
Biography:
Michael W. Brinkman was born to John and Phyllis Brinkman in Milwaukee, WI on February 23, 1943. As soon as he earned his Bachelor’s degree at Indiana State University, Brinkman began teaching. He taught Latin at Dryer Center High School, taught at Merriville High School, taught psychology, world religion, and general business in Alpena public schools. Knowing and teaching Latin fostered his love for words and sentence structures; his interests in psychology and religion provided insight into the life of the mind. Poetry combined these two loves: words and introspection. He published several works (Poetry for Peoples and Verse Diverse) before furthering his own education, earning a Master’s degree from St. Mary’s College and a PhD from the University of Michigan. Though Brinkman transitioned from the world of teaching in 1972 to act as president of Brinkman Enterprises, his work with young people continued as he and his wife Lois raised their five daughters and one son. He and Lois currently live in Alpena, MI.
Selected Works:
- Poetry for Peoples (1970)
- Verse Diverse (1973)
- In Pursuit of the Tuit (1976)
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Brinkman’s experience as a teacher has greatly influenced his writing. It is evident from the titles of Brinkman’s work that he greatly enjoys his occupation. Books such as Poetry for Peoples, The Wordsmith, and My Own Busy Bee Book betray the author’s bent for poetry and instruction. He says, “I write poetry because I’m a poet, I am a lover—a lover of mankind in general and individuals specifically…I want my readers to disclose themselves first and foremost; to be honest with themselves…”
Cantoni, Louis Joseph
May 22nd, 1919—
Place of Birth: Detroit, MI
Place of Principal Residence: Detroit, MI
Biography
Louis Cantoni was born in Detroit in 1919, to Pietro and Stella Cantoni. He travelled to the University of California in Berkeley for his undergrad degree, and then returned home to work on his M.S.W and Ph.D. In 1956, three years after graduating from the University of Michigan, Louis Cantoni took a position at Wayne State University as a Professor and Coordinator of Rehabilitation counseling. Around this time he edited two non-fiction pieces, called Preparation of Rehabilitation Counselors Through Field Instruction and Placement of the Handicapped in Competitive Employment.
During his graduate studies, Cantoni spent time working as a Social caseworker for the city of Detroit. Also, between this and his position at Wayne State University, Louis spent a few years with General Motors as a Psychological teacher and counselor. Experiences such as these likely developed his passions and focus as a writer. In 1989, after teaching more than thirty years and writing piles of poetry and textbooks, Cantoni retired from Wayne State.
Selected Works
- Marriage and Community Relations (1954)
- Counseling Your Friends (1961)
- With Joy I Called to You (Poetry, 1969)
- Gradually the Dreams Change (Poetry, 1979)
- Writings of Louis J. Cantoni (1981)
- Golden Song: Fiftieth Anniversary Anthology (Poetry, 1985)
- Supervised Practice in Rehabilitation Counseling (1986)
- A Festival of Lanternes (1994)
Awards
- 1964 Award for Leadership and Service, Michigan Rehabilitation Association
- 1970 South and West Annual Poetry Award
- 1984 Outstanding Service Award, Poetry Society of Michigan
- 1990 Edwin Falkowski Memorial Award, World Poetry Society
- 1988 Award from the Michigan Rehabilitation Counseling Association
- 1989 Outstanding Service Award, Michigan State Board of Education
- 1997 Outstanding Service Award, Michigan Association for Humanistic Education and Development
- 1999 Author of the Year Award (for poetry), Edizioni Universum, Trent, Italy
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
A portion of the Epilogue to Cantoni’s Gradually the Dreams Change goes: “His destination, when he set out, was pure poetry, although he did not recognize it. He came to cherish the gifts of sun, rain, a walk in the woods, a brightening smile. His wife radiates the clear beauty of mature women. His children, albeit circuitously, took on his values. He feels near to man and God and views death as another beginning. He has reached his destination many times and welcomes sunset as well as sunrise, conflict as well as calm. He knows now that much of his life has been pure poetry.” Surely Cantoni’s life in Detroit influenced his writing. But as the passage expresses, the poet saw beauty everywhere, in everything he did and saw and felt. Writing would have been his home no matter where he lived.
Eshleman, Clayton
June 1, 1935 -
Place of Birth: Indianapolis, IN
Place of Principle Residence: Ypsilanti, MI
Biography:
Clayton Eshleman was born to Gladys and Clayton Eshleman in 1935 in Indianapolis, IN. He attended Indiana University and received his BA in philosophy in 1958 and M.A.T. in Creative Writing in 1961. He was an instructor in English for a year before moving to Kobe, Japan as an English language and writing instructor for Matsushita Electric Corporation. In 1966 he moved to New York City as an instructor at the American Language Institute and as a publisher and editor for Caterpillar books and Caterpillar magazine. Eshleman became founder and editor of Sulfur magazine in 1981. Starting in the 1970s Eshleman traveled around the country as a visiting professor and poet in residence. In 1986 he moved to Eastern Michigan University as a Professor of English. Eshleman is a known translator, winning the National Book Award in 1979 for his co-translaton of Cesar Vallejo’s Complete Posthumous Poem. In addition to being the main American tranlator of Cesar Vallejo, Eshleman has also translated books by Antonin Arlaudi and Bernard Bador, among others. Eshleman has made frequent trips with his wife, Caryl, to France to study Ice Age Cave Art and finished his research in the 1990s with publishing his findings in his book, Juniper Fuse. He has one son, Matthew, by his first wife Barbara Novak.
Selected Works:
Poetry:
- Cantaloups and Splendour (1968)
- Under World Arrest (1994)
- Archaic Design (2007)
Prose:
- Companion Spider (2002)
Translation:
- The Collected Poetry by Aimé Césaire (1984)
- The Complete Poetry of César Vallejo (2007)
Awards:
- 1968 Poetry Magazine Award for “Five Poems”
- 1977 Carnegie Author’s Fund Award
- 1978 Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry for research on Upper Paleolitic Cave Art
- 1989 Distinguished Faculty Research/Creativity Award, Eastern Michigan University
- 1992 Michigan Artists Award, Arts Foundation of Michigan
- 2002 Landon Translation Prize, Academy of American Poets, for “Trilce”
- 2002 Sabio Award for Excellent in Literary Translation, San Diego State University
Critical Reception:
“This [The Complete Poetry, César Vallejo] is a crucially important translation of one of the poetic geniuses of the twentieth century.”
- William Rowe, author of Poets of Contemporary Latin America: History and the Inner Life.
“Sulfur must be the most important literary magazine which has explored and extended the boundaries of poetry. Clayton Eshleman has had a nose for smelling out what was going to happen next in the ceaseless evolution of the art.”
- James Laughlin, New Directions Books.
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Eshleman is a Professor of English at Eastern Michigan University.