2010-05-07

Poet and Carl Sandburg Prize winner, RANE RAMÓN ARROYO died (b: 1954);Arroyo was an American poet, playwright, and scholar of Puerto Rican heritage descent who wrote numerous books and received many literary awards. He was a professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Toledo in Ohio. His work deals extensively with issues of immigration, Latino culture and homosexuality. Arroyo was out Gay and frequently wrote self-reflexive, autobiographical texts. He was the long-term partner of the American poet Glenn Sheldon.

He published ten books of poems, a book of short stories, and a collection of selected plays. Arroyo said, quote: “No one is more surprised than I at being read in my lifetime.” Arroyo’s most recent books include “The Buried Sea: New & Selected Poems” (2008, The University of Arizona Press), and “The Sky’s Weight” (November 2009, WordTech/Turning Point.) “Midwest Challenge” was nominated by the journal for a 2009 Pushcart Prize.