Philip Edmund Booth (October 8, 1925 – July 2, 2007) was an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and educator; he has been called "Maine's clearest poetic voice."

Life

Booth was born in 1925 in

Hanover, New Hampshire Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of Eng ...

. Booth served in the United States Air Force in the Second World War. He then attended

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

, where he studied with

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

; he received his B.A. in 1947. He subsequently received an M.A. from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Booth married Margaret Tillman in 1946; they had three daughters. He spent much of his time living in

Castine, Maine Castine ( ) is a town in Hancock County in eastern Maine.; John Faragher. ''Great and Nobel Scheme''. 2005. p. 68. The population was 1,320 at the 2020 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduate ...

in a house that has been handed down through his family for five generations. Booth was an instructor and professor of English and of creative writing at Dartmouth College,

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

, and at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. Booth was one of the founders of the Creative Writing program at Syracuse. One of his students, the poet

Stephen Dunn Stephen Elliot Dunn (June 24, 1939June 24, 2021) was an American poet and educator who authored twenty-one collections of poetry. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 2001 collection, ''Different Hours,'' and received an Academy Award i ...

, has written of his 1969-70 experience at Syracuse that, "We had come to study with Philip Booth,

Donald Justice Donald Rodney Justice (August 12, 1925 – August 6, 2004) was an American teacher of writing and poet who won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1980. In summing up Justice's career, David Orr wrote, "In most ways, Justice was no different from an ...

, W.D. Snodgrass, George P. Elliott, arguably the best group of writer-teachers that existed at the time."

Poetry

Booth's poetry was published in many periodicals including ''The New Yorker'', ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ''The American Poetry Review'', ''Poetry'', and ''Denver Quarterly''. He published 10 poetry collections and one book about writing poetry (see references below). One of Booth's early poems, "Chart 1203," is indicative of the physical character of some of his poetry and also of his lifelong love of the sea and sailing: :Whoever works a storm to windward, sails :in rain, or navigates in island fog, :must reckon from the slow swung lead, from squalls :on cheek; must bear by compass, chart, and log. :... :...He weathers rainsquall, :linestorm, fear, who bears away from the sound :of sirens wooing him to the cape's safe lee. :He knows the ghostship bow, the sudden headland :immanent in fog; but where rocks wander, he :steers down the channel that his courage :dredges. He knows the chart is not the sea. A much later poem, "Places without Names," has a more public concern: :...What gene demands old men command young men to die? :The young gone singing to Antietam, Aachen, Anzio. :To Bangalore, the Choisin Reservoir, Dien Bien Phu, :My Lai. Places in the heads of men who have no :mind left... A major essay regarding Booth's poetry was published by Guy Rotella in 1983.

Works incorporating Booth's poetry

An illustrated children's book built on Booth's poem "Crossing" from ''Letter from a Distant Land'' was published in 2001. This was the first book illustrated by

Bagram Ibatoulline Bagram Ibatoulline is a Russian-born artist who has illustrated numerous books for younger readers written by Philip Booth, Kate DiCamillo, Michelle Houts, Stephen Mitchell, Linda Sue Park, Lois Lowry and others. His illustrations have been note ...

, who has since illustrated many books published for young readers. The book received a starred review from ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'', and was listed as one of the best children's books of 2001 by ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

''. Booth's poem has a rhythm but isn't a narrative; Ibatoulline's illustrations provide one. Around 1996, Arnold Berleant created songs from Booth's poems "First Song", "Chances", and "The Dancer". A performance of Berleant's "Chances" by Nancy Ogle has been posted online.

Awards

Bess Hokin Prize (1955).

Lamont Poetry Prize The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreach ...

for ''Letter from a Distant Land'' (1956). ''Saturday Review'' Poetry Award (1957). Emily Clark Balch Prize of the ''Virginia Quarterly Review'' (1964). Theodore Roethke Prize for a poem in ''Poetry Northwest'' (1970). Syracuse University Chancellor's Citation (1981). Fellowships from the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreac ...

(1983), the Guggenheim Foundation (1958, 1964), and the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Carneg ...

(1968).

Maurice English Poetry Award Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor * Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and L ...

for ''Relations'' (1987). Poem selected for ''The Best American Poetry 1999''."Narrow Road: Presidents' Day," from ''

The American Poetry Review ''The American Poetry Review'' (''APR'') is an American poetry magazine printed every other month on tabloid-sized newsprint. It was founded in 1972 by Stephen Berg and Stephen Parker in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The magazine's editor is Elizabet ...

''. Reprinted in Bly, Robert (1999). ''

The Best American Poetry 1999 ''The Best American Poetry 1999'', a volume in '' The Best American Poetry series'', was edited by David Lehman and by guest editor Robert Bly Robert Elwood Bly (December 23, 1926 – November 21, 2021) was an American poet, essayist, activis ...

'' (Scribner, 1999).

Poets' Prize The Poets' Prize is awarded annually for the best book of verse published by a living American poet two years prior to the award year. The $3000 annual prize is donated by a committee of about 20 American poets, who each nominate two books and who ...

(2001) for ''Lifelines''.

Poetry collections

* ''Lifelines: Selected Poems, 1950-1999'' (Viking Press, 1999). * ''Pairs'' (Viking Penguin, New York, 1994). * ''Selves'' (Viking Penguin, New York, 1990). * ''Relations'' (Viking Penguin, 1986). * ''Before Sleep'' (Viking Adult, 1980). * ''Available Light'' (Viking Adult, 1976). * ''Margins'' (Viking Adult, 1970). * ''Weathers and Edges'' (Viking Adult, 1966). * ''The Islanders'' (Viking Adult, 1961). * ''Letter from a Distant Land'' (Viking, 1957). ASIN B000BYR9AE

Additional bibliography

References

External links

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''Beloit Journal of Poetry''
Retrieved December 21, 2006.

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are posted at the website of

The Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation is an American literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthropist Rut ...

. Retrieved December 21, 2006.
12 poems
posted at the PoemHunter.com website; retrieved December 21, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Booth, Philip 1925 births 2007 deaths Poets from New Hampshire People from Hanover, New Hampshire 20th-century American poets Poets from Maine United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Dartmouth College alumni Columbia University alumni Dartmouth College faculty Bowdoin College faculty Wellesley College faculty People from Castine, Maine 21st-century American poets