Harvey Oxenhorn
Encyclopedia
Harvey Oxenhorn was an American academic and author most famous for writing the book, Tuning the Rig. He was the Director of the Public Policy Communications Program at Harvard University
. Oxenhorn was born in New York
. He got a Bachelor of Arts degree at Swarthmore College
and a Doctorate in English from Stanford University
. His thesis was entitled "Elemental Things: The Poetry of Hugh MacDiarmid
". He taught at both Stanford and Tufts University
before accepting a position at Harvard, first as an instructor, and then as Director in 1983. In addition to nonfiction, he also wrote poetry. His work has been included in such publications as The Atlantic, Ploughshares
, and The Southern Review. He spent a considerable amount of time in writer's retreats such as the MacDowell Colony
and Yaddo
.
Tuning the Rig, a nonfiction account of Oxenhorn's time at sea on a scientific whaling
expedition, was reviewed favorably in many newspapers, including in the Toronto Star
, the New York Times
, and the Ottawa Citizen
. His doctoral thesis was also turned into a book, receiving positive reviews. Oxenhorn was in the process of writing a book about his experiences with teaching children in Kenya
at the Yaddo retreat when he died in a car crash in Hillside, New York
. His funeral service was held at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum. Oxenhorn's friend, the writer Alice Hoffman
, successfully lobbied Zoland Books to republish Tuning the Rig. This latest edition includes an afterword by the Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky
. He was the son of the educator and author Joseph Oxenhorn
and the brother of the translator and political theorist Mera J. Flaumenhaft
.
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Oxenhorn was born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He got a Bachelor of Arts degree at Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
and a Doctorate in English from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. His thesis was entitled "Elemental Things: The Poetry of Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid
Hugh MacDiarmid is the pen name of Christopher Murray Grieve , a significant Scottish poet of the 20th century. He was instrumental in creating a Scottish version of modernism and was a leading light in the Scottish Renaissance of the 20th century...
". He taught at both Stanford and Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
before accepting a position at Harvard, first as an instructor, and then as Director in 1983. In addition to nonfiction, he also wrote poetry. His work has been included in such publications as The Atlantic, Ploughshares
Ploughshares
Ploughshares is an American literary magazine founded in 1971 by DeWitt Henry and Peter O'Malley in The Plough and Stars, an Irish pub in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since 1989, Ploughshares has been based at Emerson College in the heart of Boston...
, and The Southern Review. He spent a considerable amount of time in writer's retreats such as the MacDowell Colony
MacDowell Colony
The MacDowell Colony is an art colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, U.S.A., founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds...
and Yaddo
Yaddo
Yaddo is an artists' community located on a 400 acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment."...
.
Tuning the Rig, a nonfiction account of Oxenhorn's time at sea on a scientific whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
expedition, was reviewed favorably in many newspapers, including in the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, the New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, and the Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
. His doctoral thesis was also turned into a book, receiving positive reviews. Oxenhorn was in the process of writing a book about his experiences with teaching children in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
at the Yaddo retreat when he died in a car crash in Hillside, New York
Hillside, New York
Hillside is a census-designated place in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 882 at the 2000 census.It is located just south of the city of Kingston, in the Town of Ulster.-Geography:Hillside is located at ....
. His funeral service was held at the Essex Shipbuilding Museum. Oxenhorn's friend, the writer Alice Hoffman
Alice Hoffman
Alice Hoffman is an American novelist and young-adult and children's writer, best known for her 1996 novel Practical Magic, which was adapted for a 1998 film of the same name...
, successfully lobbied Zoland Books to republish Tuning the Rig. This latest edition includes an afterword by the Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky
Robert Pinsky
Robert Pinsky is an American poet, essayist, literary critic, and translator. From 1997 to 2000, he served as Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Pinsky is the author of nineteen books, most of which are collections of his own poetry...
. He was the son of the educator and author Joseph Oxenhorn
Joseph Oxenhorn
Joseph Oxenhorn was an American educator and prolific textbook author. After attending Brooklyn College and receiving a master's degree from Columbia University, Oxenhorn became a teacher and eventually a principal in the New York City school system. He stayed in the city's education system for...
and the brother of the translator and political theorist Mera J. Flaumenhaft
Mera J. Flaumenhaft
Mera Joan Flaumenhaft is an American scholar and translator specializing primarily in political theory. She is currently a Tutor in English at St. John's College. Her translation of Niccolò Machiavelli's Mandragola is widely used in college courses throughout the country...
.