Philip Heldrich
Encyclopedia
Philip Heldrich was an award-winning American author of poetry
Poetry
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...

, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...

s, short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

, and literary criticism
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...

, including Good Friday, winner of the X.J. Kennedy Poetry Prize and Out Here in the Out There: Essays in a Region of Superlatives, winner of the Mid-List Press First Series Award for Creative Nonfiction.

His work appeared widely in anthologies—such as American Nature Writing 2001 edited by John A. Murray (Oregon State University Press) and Texas Bound Book III: 22 Texas Stories edited by Kay Cattarulla (Texas A&M University Press
Texas A&M University Press
Texas A&M University Press is a scholarly publishing house associated with Texas A&M University. It was founded in 1974 and is located in College Station, Texas, in the United States.-Overview:...

)--and literary journals including http://www.webdelsol.com/NorthAmReview/NAR/NAR/Home.htmlNorth American Review
North American Review
The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...

], http://www.english.ucf.edu/~flreview/index.htmFlorida Review
Florida Review
The Florida Review is a national, non-profit literary journal published twice annually by the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida. Its artistic mission is to publish the best poetry and prose written by the world’s most exciting emerging and established writers...

] (Winner of the Editor's Prize for Nonfiction), http://www.flyway.org/Flyway (magazine)
Flyway (magazine)
Flyway is a prominent American literary magazine, based at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. It publishes fiction, essays and poetry, often on environmental themes. Stories that have appeared in Flyway have been shortlisted for the Pushcart Prize....

: Journal of Writing and Environment
], http://readthebestwriting.com/Ascent (journal)
Ascent (journal)
Ascent is an American literary magazine that publishes stories, poems, essays and reviews, many of which are later reprinted in annual anthologies. The journal is based at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota....

], Seattle Review, Connecticut Review, http://www.louisianaliterature.org/press/Louisiana Literature
Louisiana Literature
Louisiana Literature is a literary magazine. Founded in 1984 by Southeastern Louisiana University, it publishes fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction quarterly.-Honors and awards:...

], http://www.writer.org/pubs/poet-lore.aspPoet Lore
Poet Lore
Poet Lore is an English-language literary magazine based in Bethesda, Maryland. Established in 1889, Poet Lore is the oldest continuously published poetry magazine in the United States....

], http://www.usd.edu/sdreview/South Dakota Review
South Dakota Review
The South Dakota Review is a quarterly literary magazine published by the University of South Dakota. It was founded by John R. Milton in 1963 and is currently edited by Brian Bedard. Past Associate Editors include Eileen Sullivan, and Theo Bohn...

], and more. His literary criticism and reviews have appeared in Studies in Short Fiction, The Southern Quarterly, Great Plains Quarterly, Midwest Quarterly, American Indian Culture and Research Journal, and others.

About Good Friday, author Jonathan Holden remarked:

"In his magnificent poem 'Momentum,' as throughout Good Friday, the poet Philip Heldrich, like the late W. C. Williams, demonstrates audaciously how, while 'pulled and tugged in the swirl of rush hour traffic,' we can, out of the American quotidian, locate and frame that which is beautiful."

Final Judge X.J. Kennedy added:

"Philip Heldrich writes shapely poems that go places and share some wisdom with us. . . . He can capture a good deal of territory in a limited number of well-crafted words."


About his award-winning collection of essays, Out Here in the Out There: Essays in a Region of Superlatives, the American Library Associations's Booklist noted:


"Poet and pop culture aficionado Heldrich searches for the lyrical within his small midwestern meatpacking town and beyond. For Heldrich, lover of words, there is beauty to be found at the local dump: magazines (Kansas Farmer), discarded beverage bottles (“Golden Sound Basil Seed Drink”), even machine names (the “cram-a-lot” baler is a favorite). The resulting essays are a happy melding of social commentary with the best sort of travel writing. A finely crafted ode to target practice and male bonding set in a high country meadow in Colorado quietly evolves into a memorial for a lost friend. Another piece perfectly captures the surreal nature of the academic conference, made even more dreamlike by taking place in Norman, Oklahoma, five hours before a championship football game. (Heldrich succumbs to Husker and Sooner mania.) Driving around “out there,” whether it be Disneyland or the Central Plains, the author puts pen to paper, accurately capturing the essence of American culture."



Philip Heldrich served as Executive Director of the Southwest/Texas Popular and American Culture Associations. He was an Associate Professor in the Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences Program at the University of Washington Tacoma.

Cancer and Subsequent Death

Heldrich was diagnosed with cancer in early 2009. He underwent chemotherapy treatment and continued to teach courses in writing fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. With his family surrounding him he passed away November 11, 2010 due to complications from his illness.

External links

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