Last Friday, it was announced that Minnesota author, poet, and teacher, Bill Holm, passed away.
Both daily papers here in the Twin Cities wrote lovely articles on Holm’s life and his work, doing their best to pay tribute to a man described as “the polar bear of American literature” and “the sage of Minnesota”.
(Click here to read Laurie Hertzel’s article in the Star Tribune)
(Click here to read Mary Divine’s article in the Pioneer Press)
As an organization devoted to the humanities in Minnesota, we are of course saddened by this loss. It’s people like Bill Holm (whose work is so vast and deep and enjoyed by so many) who help to perpetuate Minnesota’s rich and intelligent culture.
We welcome your thoughts and memories of Bill Holm in the comments below.
I have enjoyed Holm’s work for the last 14 years, for it was then that I moved to Minnesota from Tennessee. He was one of the first Minnesota poets I discovered. The tenor of his work, regardless of its form, will forever in my mind be quintessential Minnesotan. He was an artistic force from the ice and snow, and his work embodies the quiet, powerful vistas so unique to this region. He will be missed, but his work should carry him forward for each of us.