Philip Heldrich was an American author of

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, and

literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. Th ...

, including ''Good Friday'', winner of the Poetry Prize,

X.J. Kennedy X. J. Kennedy (born Joseph Charles Kennedy on August 21, 1929, in Dover, New Jersey) is an American poet, translator, anthologist, editor, and author of children's literature and textbooks on English literature and poetry. He was long known as ...

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 (also known informally as TAMU 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 The Texas A&M ...

)--and literary journals including ''North American Review'', ''Florida Review'' (Winner of the Editor's Prize for Nonfiction), ''Journal of Writing and Environment'', '' Flyway (magazine)'', ''Ascent (journal)'', ''Seattle Review'', ''Connecticut Review'', ''Louisiana Literature'', ''Poet Lore'', ''South Dakota Review'', 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 Popular and American Culture Associations. He was an associate professor in the Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences Program at the ''

University of Washington Tacoma The University of Washington Tacoma (UW Tacoma) is a campus of University of Washington in Tacoma, Washington. The UW Tacoma campus opened in leased space in 1990 and opened its permanent campus in 1997. History Following the establishment of T ...

''.

Cancer and 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. He died on November 11, 2010, due to complications from his illness.

References

;Notes ;Sources
''Texas Review'' Press

Texas A&M University Press Consortium

Mid-List Press

''Who's Who in America''

''Who's Who in American Education''

External links

''Out Here in the Out There: Essays in a Region of Superlatives''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heldrich, Philip American essayists American male poets American literary critics University of Washington faculty Writers from Tacoma, Washington Writers from Kansas American male essayists American nature writers American male non-fiction writers