About Liam Rector
Liam Rector, whose birth name was Ronald Edward Rector, was born on November 21, 1949, and died on August 15, 2007. He was an influential American poet, essayist, and educator. He oversaw literary programs at several institutions, such as the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), the National Endowment for the Arts, the Academy of American Poets, and the Folger Shakespeare Library. He also founded the graduate Writing Seminars program at Bennington College. Rector wrote multiple volumes of poetry, including The Executive Director of the Fallen World (University of Chicago, 2006), American Prodigal (Story Line, 1994), and The Sorrow of Architecture (Dragon Gate, 1984). Together with his third wife, Tree Swenson, he edited On the Poetry of Frank Bidart: Fastening the Voice to the Page (University of Michigan, 2007) and The Day I Was Older: On the Poetry of Donald Hall (Story Line, 1989).On August 15, 2007, at the age of 57, Rector committed suicide by gunshot in his apartment located in Greenwich Village. In his final years, he dealt with a range of health issues, including heart disease and cancer, which he mentioned in his suicide note. In his memory, the Liam Rector First Book Prize for Poetry is awarded each year by Briery Creek Press to celebrate the best emerging poets who publish their first full-length poetry book.
Browse all poems and texts published on Liam Rector
Find those with whom you have rapport and proceed. And never proceed with those with whom you do not have rapport.
