Poets
Henry, Gordon Jr.
Oct. 19, 1955 –
Place of birth: Philadelphia, PA
Place of Principle Residence: Big Rapids, MI
Biography:
Gordon Henry, an Anishinabe poet and novelist, grew up traveling to different military bases with his father Gordon, a member of the U.S. Navy, and his mother MaryAnne. Henry got his Bachelor’s Degree at University of Wisconsin – Parkside in 1980. His first break into fame came during his Master’s work in the English/Creative Writing program at Michigan State University where his poetry was included in Songs From This Earth on Turtle’s Back: An Anthology of Contemporary American Indian Poetry. Before getting his doctorate at University of North Dakota in 1992 Henry worked as an assistant professor at Ferris State University. He accepted a position as assistant professor of English at Michigan State University in 1993, where he remains today. Henry is a member of the Chippewa Tribe on the White Earth Reservation and has three children, Kelhi Ardis, Mira Ann, and Emily Rose.
Selected works:
- Pine Point Her Breath (1985)
- How Soon (1985)
- The Failure of Certain Charms (1991)
- Sleeping in Rain (1983)
- The Dream of The Golden Arrow, Leaving Skin, and Ahwosso—Past (1999)
Awards:
- 1997 Nominated for an Excellence in Teaching Award, The College of Arts and Letters, Michigan State University
- 1995 The American Book Award, for The Light People; presented by the Before Columbus Foundation, Oakland, California
- 1995 The Maxwell Anderson Alumni Award for outstanding achievements in arts and letters; presented by the English Department, the University of North Dakota
- 1994 Nominated for a National Book Award, for The Light People, by the University of Oklahoma Press
- 1994-95 Fulbright Lectureship, Fulbright Scholarship Board, Washington, D.C.
- 1992 Nominated for a Distinguished Teaching Award, College of Arts and Sciences, Ferris State University
- 1986 D’Arcy McNickle Memorial Fellowship, McNickle Center for the History of the American Indian, The Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois
- 1985 Katherine B. Tiffany Award for outstanding graduate student in the English Department, The University of North Dakota
- 1985 North Country Poetry Award, The University of North Dakota
- 1985 Thomas McGrath Poetry Award, University of North Dakota
- 1984 The American Academy of Poets Thomas McGrath Award, University of North Dakota
- 1983 Minority Merit Fellowship, through the American Culture Program, The University of Michigan
Critical Reception:
Gordon Henry is noted for the strong ties in his writing to Native American culture and imagery. His work has been widely published and he has received several awards for both his books and poetry.
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Henry focuses on his family history and the oral traditions of the Anishinabe (Ojibwa). He spreads his stories both locally and regionally as a storyteller and lecturer.
Hovey, Kate A.
February 27, 1950 –
Place of Birth: Flint, MI
Biography:
Kate A. Hovey was born to William Gifford and Eddie Hovey in Flint, MI on February 27, 1950. She first became inspired to write from her many visits to the collection of marble statues of J. Paul Getty Museum’s Greco-Roman antiquities collection in Malibu. She wrote poems dedicated to ancient Greek mythology, but remained too shy to show anyone until seventh grade, when an English teacher encouraged her in her writing. Hovey dismissed any dreams of being an author in college, instead getting a B.A. in journalism. Her first job was working as a features writer for The Sanford Herald in North Carolina, and then worked for The Fayetteville Observer as a court reporter, columnist, and features writer. Hovey married Grand O. Gullickson and moved to California with her family before taking up poetry again. She attended UCLA and studied under Myra Cohn Livingston, a noted poet and anthologist. Her poem Arachne Speaks was made into a picture book in 2001 and her children’s collection was published in 2004. Currently Kate works as a writer, designer, and metalsmith, and has made masks for university theater productions.
Selected Works:
- Arachne Speaks (2001)
- Voices of the Trojan War (2004)
- Ancient Voices (2004)
Awards:
- 2002 Marion Vannett Ridgway Honor Book Award for Arachne Speaks
- 2002 Mellen Press Poetry Prize Honorable Mention for The Book of Sarai
Critical Reception:
Arachne Speaks was praised by authors Lee Bennett Hopkins and Geraldine McCaughrean, and in addition achieved a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. The book also was given a Marion Vannett Ridgeway Memorial Honor Book Award in 2002. Her book, Ancient Voices, was described by Pulitzer prize-winning poet as “an excellent storytelling medium – clear, pictorial, and full of action.” Voices of the Trojan War was named a Notable Book by the National Council of Teachers of English in 2005. Kirkus Reviews commented “Hovey offers a fresh and elegant take on the old stories for young readers.” Publishers Weekly stated that Hovey’s style “is cohesive, powerful, and striking.”
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Kate attended Michigan State University where she worked for the school’s student-run daily newspaper. She continued her work in journalism before returning to studying poetry at UCLA.
LaGattuta, Margo
September 18, 1942 -
Place of Birth: Detroit, MI
Place of Principle Residence: Rochester, MI
Biography:
Margo LaGattuta was born to Elizabeth and Edwin Grahm in Detroit, MI in 1942. She achieved her BA at Oakland University in 1980 and her MFA at Vermont College in 1984. LaGuttuta has worked as an English Instructor at Oakland Community College and a Process Writing Consultant at Inventing the Invisible. She has published four collections of poetry, and is the Midwest Editor for Plain View Press in Austin, Texas where she has now edited six anthologies. LaGuttuta is also the associate editor for Suburban Lifestyles where she writes a column, articles, and theater reviews. She teaches writing at the University of Michigan in flint and hosts a radio program, Art in the Air. LaGuttuta has received many honors and awards for her work, including two Midwest Poetry Awards, and a two-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize. LaGattuta currently lives in Rochester, Michigan.
Selected Works:
- The Dream Givers (1990)
- Noedgelines (1986)
- Diversion Road (1983)
Awards:
- 1991 The Gwendolyn Brooks Award in Poetry, Michigan State University
- 1990 Ohio Poetry Day Award, First Place
- 1989, 1992 Ragdale Writers Colony Fellowships
- 1980 Departmental Honors in English, Oakland University
- n/a Two-time nominee for Pushcart Prize
- n/a Two Midwest Poetry Awards
Critical Reception:
LaGattuta has won several awards and honors for her work, including two Ragdale Writers Colony Fellowships and two Midwest Poetry awards.
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
LaGattuta has lived all her life in Michigan, being born in Detroit and currently residing in Rochester, Michigan. She is involved in a plethora of activities, including teaching at the University of Michigan, and hosting a radio program.
Minty, Judith
Marcy 28, 1909 - May 9, 1981
Place of Birth: Detroit, MI
Place of Principal Residence: New Era, MI
Biography:
Judith Minty was born in Detroit, Michigan to Karl and Margaret Makinen. During childhood her years were divided into spending the school semesters in Detroit and the summers camping with her family in the North Woods. She graduated with a Master’s in English from Western Michigan University in 1993, and has worked as a Professor at colleges in Michigan, the West Coast, and California. In 1982 to 1993 she served as the director of the Creative Writing Program at Humboldt State University. While teaching, Minty kept up her writing, publishing poems, essays, and short stories that have enjoyed much success and have been published in over fifty anthologies. She is married to Edgar S. Minty and has three children, Lora, John Reed, and Ann. Currently Minty resides in western Michigan by the Lake Michigan shoreline, but spends part of her year at a cabin on the Yellow Dog River in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Selected Works:
- Lake Songs and Other Fears (1974)
- Yellow Dog Journal (1979)
- In the Presence of Mothers (1981)
- Contemporary Michigan Poetry: Poems from the Third Coast (1988)
- Dancing the Fault (1991)
- The Mad Painter Poems (1996)
- Walking with the Bear: Selected and New Poems (2000)
Awards:
- 1974 Eunice Tietjens Award, Poetry Magazine
- 1974 United States Award of the International Poetry Forum
- 1981, 1983 Grants, Michigan Council for the Arts
- 1985 PEN Syndicated Fiction Award
- California Fiction Award from PEN/The Mead Foundation
- Villa Montalvo Award for Excellence in Poetry
- Kentucky Foundation for Women Residency Grant
- Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Michigan Technological University
- Mark Twain Award for Distinguished Contributions to Midwestern Literature from the Society for the Study of Midwestern Literature
Critical Reception:
In 1974 Minty’s first book Lake Songs and Other Fears won the US Award of the International Poetry Forum. Her poetry has been praised for its vivid imagery and captivating themes that Minty draws from her own life experiences. Editor Elinor Benedict of Passages North wrote Minty “achieves her power without resorting to excess of diction, metaphor, rhetoric, or quirky play with punctuation. In the web of human relations, she avoids sentimentality; in the depths of the unconscious, she resists portentousness.” Minty’s poems are used in school curriculums and have been said to reflect Michigan in her poetry including nature and animal themes.
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work:
Minty is greatly inspired by her surroundings. Her book, The Yellow Dog Journal, reflects her experience of living in the lake country of Michigan near the Yellow Dog River. In Dancing the Fault Minty compares the lake country of Michigan with the rainy coast of California (where she lived for several years). Critics have recognized the constant thread of place in Minty’s work, whether in Michigan or in California.
Ohman-Youngs, Anne C.
1939—
Place of Birth: Marquette, MI
Place of Principal Residence: Escanaba, MI
Biography:
Anne C. Ohman-Youngs was born to Clifford and Anne Long on June 25, 1939 in Marquette, Michigan. She earned her B.S. and M.A. from Northern Michigan University in 1981 and 1986, respectively. Between 1981 and 1985 she worked as an English instructor at Bay de Noc Community College, and subsequently transferred to Northern Michigan University as an English instructor in 1987. Her work has been published in many literary magazines, including the Mid-American Review and the Midwest Quarterly. In addition, she has authored two chapbooks, both of which earned awards, and was an editor for Passages North. Currently Ohman-Youngs lives in Escanaba, MI and has three children: Jeffrey, James, and Neil.
Selected Works:
- The Third Coast: Contemporary Michigan Poetry (1976)
- Markers (1988)
- Contemporary Michigan Poetry: Poems From the Third Coast (1988)
- Patchwork—Selected Work by U.P. Writers (1989)
Awards:
- Prize winning entry, National Poetry Chapbook Competition<?li>
- 1987 Chester H. Jones Foundation Anthology of National Poetry Competition Winners
- 1998 Quentin R. Howard Poetry Prize
Relevance of Place to Author’s Work
Ohman-Youngs has lived and worked in Escanaba, MI since 1979. She currently is a professor at Northern Michigan University and has penned poetry based on Michigan, as can be seen in her 1988 publication Contemporary Michigan Poetry: Poems From the Third Coast.