Thomas McGrath and North Dakota Quarterly
This November is the centennial of Tom McGrath’s birth. He is perhaps North Dakota’s most globally recognized poet and perhaps no author is more closely associated with North Dakota Quarterly than Thomas McGrath.
So NDQ has posted its archive of works on McGrath with a new introduction by Dale Jacobson, a leading McGrath scholar. Here’s what I wrote:
In recent years, his work as a definitive poet of the Northern Plains and the American West has received renewed interest and attention. Charlotte Mandel’s recent essay in Poets’ Quarterly captures the scope and tone of McGrath’s work as well as any. McGrath’s biography at the Poetry Foundation demonstrates his deep roots in the American heartland, in a dreamlike reality, and in the pages of North Dakota Quarterly.
In recognition of McGrath’s 100th birthday, we asked McGrath scholar Dale Jacobson to share his thoughts on the poet and to frame McGrath’s work in North Dakota Quarterly. Jacobson’s essay is below and links to McGrath’s contributions to the Quarterly follow.
If you find yourself needing more McGrath (and frankly, who doesn’t need more) and are in town, go check out our reading of McGrath poetry on November 20th:
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