Ken Brewer
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Wayne Brewer was an American
poet
and longtime scholar who resided in Utah
, where he served as Poet Laureate
. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana
, he attended Butler University and Western New Mexico University
in the 1960s, then earned a master's degree in English literature
from New Mexico State University
, followed by a Ph.D.
from the University of Utah
, where he worked with Pulitzer Prize
winner Henry Taylor
, in 1973. Since that time he has taught a wide variety of courses at Utah State University
, concentrating on mentoring creative writers at the graduate level, while publishing prolifically and speaking extensively. He died after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer
.
as well as more than individual 300 poems, essays and reviews in literary journals. Collections of his poetry may be found in
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and longtime scholar who resided in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, where he served as Poet Laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, he attended Butler University and Western New Mexico University
Western New Mexico University
Western New Mexico University, a public university located in Silver City, New Mexico, has served the people of the state of New Mexico and its surrounding areas as a comprehensive, regional, rural, public coeducational university since 1893 and caters to a student body diverse in age, culture,...
in the 1960s, then earned a master's degree in English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
from New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
, followed by a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, where he worked with Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
winner Henry Taylor
Henry S. Taylor
Henry S. Taylor is a Pulitzer Prize winning American poet and author of over 15 books of poetry.Taylor was born on 21 June 1942 in rural Loudoun County, Virginia, where he was raised as a Quaker. He went to high school at George School in Newtown, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of...
, in 1973. Since that time he has taught a wide variety of courses at Utah State University
Utah State University
Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities....
, concentrating on mentoring creative writers at the graduate level, while publishing prolifically and speaking extensively. He died after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
.
Publications
In over three decades at Utah State, Brewer published eight volumes of his poetryPoetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
as well as more than individual 300 poems, essays and reviews in literary journals. Collections of his poetry may be found in
- The Place In Between, Limberlost Press, 1998
- Lake's Edge, Woodhedge Press, 1997
- Hoping for all, Dreading Nothing, Slanting Rain Press, 1994
- A Fine Art Book of Poems with Woodcuts by Harry Taylor
- To Remember What is Lost, USU Press, 1982 (ISBN# 0-87421-114-X), 68pp. Re-issued in paperback, 1989 (ISBN# 0-87421-143-3)
- The Collected Poems of Mongrel, Compost Press, 1981
- Round Again: A Cycle of Poems, published under a grant from the Utah Institute of Fine Arts, 1980
- Sum of Accidents, Chapbook Series, Alliance for the Varied Arts, 1977
- Places, Shadows, Dancing People, USU Monograph Series, Vol. XVII, No. 1, 1969, pp. 31-47, with Tom Lyons, Joyce Wood and Robert Wood.
Some Quotes About Ken Brewer
- "His poems are direct, accessible and free of the arcane references or pretentious language that can make poetry feel elitist." — KUTV, Salt Lake Cityhttp://kutv.com/topstories/local_story_331144717.html
- "achingly beautiful," composed of "spare and unimposing imagery and dialogue" — Star Coulbrooke, quoted in Continuum
- "Utah Poet Laureate Ken Brewer is known for his fine poetry and his wicked sense of humor" — Michael Shayhttp://wyolitmail.blogspot.com/2005_05_01_wyolitmail_archive.html
- "luminously gifted ... a man who writes of passion and earth-tending in a chunk of America in which it has begun to seem that the only passion burning for the earth is about profit" — Mary Sojourner, in Mountain Gazette