Leo Connellan
Encyclopedia
Leo Connellan was an American poet born in Portland, Maine
. He grew up in Rockland, Maine
, spent much of his life in the environs of New York
, and lived at the time of his death in Sprague, Connecticut
. He spent considerable time traveling in the United States between the ages of 19 and 36, taking work as a salesman after his daughter was born.
Connellan's rough, "everyman" lyricism won him the admiration of such poet-critics as Karl Shapiro
, Robert Penn Warren
, Richard Eberhart
, Richard Wilbur
, David B. Axelrod
and other major voices of the twentieth century. Connellan won the Shelley Memorial Award
from the Poetry Society of America
and served as Connecticut
's second Poet Laureate
from 1996 until his death. His duties in this post were little defined, but Connellan said he saw promoting poetry in schools and supporting new writers as among his responsibilities. From 1987 until the time of his death, he was poet-in-residence for the Connecticut State University System
. Connellan had himself attended the University of Maine
. He was designated one of Maine's most prominent poets in the Maine Literary Hall of Fame.
Connellan took among his themes the fishing and lobstering industries in Maine, and the lives of New York commuters. His work featured in anthologies, including Wesley McNair's The Maine Poets: An Anthology of Verse, and the Curbstone Press's Poetry like bread anthology of "poets of the political imagination."
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
. He grew up in Rockland, Maine
Rockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination...
, spent much of his life in the environs of 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...
, and lived at the time of his death in Sprague, Connecticut
Sprague, Connecticut
Sprague is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town was named after William Sprague, who laid out the industrial section. The population was 2,971 at the 2000 census...
. He spent considerable time traveling in the United States between the ages of 19 and 36, taking work as a salesman after his daughter was born.
Connellan's rough, "everyman" lyricism won him the admiration of such poet-critics as Karl Shapiro
Karl Shapiro
Karl Jay Shapiro was an American poet. He was appointed the fifth Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1946.-Biography:...
, Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the influential literary journal The Southern Review with Cleanth Brooks in 1935...
, Richard Eberhart
Richard Eberhart
Richard Ghormley Eberhart was an American poet who published more than a dozen books of poetry and approximately twenty works in total...
, Richard Wilbur
Richard Wilbur
Richard Purdy Wilbur is an American poet and literary translator. He was appointed the second Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987, and twice received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, in 1957 and again in 1989....
, David B. Axelrod
David B. Axelrod
David B. Axelrod is a poet and educator.-Early life and education:He was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, where he lived until his college years....
and other major voices of the twentieth century. Connellan won the Shelley Memorial Award
Shelley Memorial Award
The Shelley Memorial Award of more than $3,500, given out by the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of the late Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need. The selection is...
from the Poetry Society of America
Poetry Society of America
The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists including Witter Bynner. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the have included such renowned writers as Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Edna St. Vincent...
and served as Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
's second 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...
from 1996 until his death. His duties in this post were little defined, but Connellan said he saw promoting poetry in schools and supporting new writers as among his responsibilities. From 1987 until the time of his death, he was poet-in-residence for the Connecticut State University System
Connecticut State University System
The Connecticut State University System is a public university system in Connecticut. CSUS consists of four comprehensive universities with more than 36,500 students and 180,000 alumni. It is the largest university system in the state. The system dates back to the founding Central Connecticut...
. Connellan had himself attended the University of Maine
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
. He was designated one of Maine's most prominent poets in the Maine Literary Hall of Fame.
Connellan took among his themes the fishing and lobstering industries in Maine, and the lives of New York commuters. His work featured in anthologies, including Wesley McNair's The Maine Poets: An Anthology of Verse, and the Curbstone Press's Poetry like bread anthology of "poets of the political imagination."
List of Publications
- The Maine Poems (1999)
- Short Poems, City Poems, 1944--1998 (1998)
- Provincetown and Other Poems (1995)
- New and Collected Poems (1989)
- The Clear Blue Lobster-Water Country: A Trilogy (1985)
- Shatterhouse (1983)
- Massachusetts Poems (1981)
- The Gunman and Other poems (1979)
- Death in Lobster Land: New Poems (1978)
- First Selected Poems (1976)
- Crossing America (1976) - Considered by many to be Connellan at his best.
- Another Poet in New York (1975)
- Penobscot Poems (1974)