Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) will broadcast a tribute to renowned poet, essayist, and Gustavus alumnus Bill Holm on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19. Holm passed away on Feb. 25 in Sioux Falls, S.D.
The tribute took place Tuesday, April 14 at St. Paul’s Fitzgerald Theater. The event was called “Friends of Bill Holm,” and featured an impressive list of writers and musicians who were friends with, inspired by, and connected to Bill Holm.
MPR will broadcast the event on its classical music stations, including 99.5 FM in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 18. The event can also be heard on MPR’s news stations, including 91.1 FM in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 19.
Presenters at the event included Gustavus emeritus professor John Calvin Rezmerski, poet and translator Robert Bly, novelist, essayist, poet, and screenwriter Jim Harrison, publisher of Milkweed Editions Emilie Buchwald, poet Phebe Hanson, writer Jim Lenfestey, and poet Barton Sutter.
Holm, a 1965 alumnus of Gustavus, was a longtime English professor at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minn. His works include Windows of Brimnes — An American in Iceland, Playing the Black Piano, The Heart Can Be Filled Anywhere on Earth, The Dead Get By with Anything, Coming Home Crazy: An Alphabet of China Essays, and Boxelder Bug Variations: A Meditation on an Idea in Language and Music.
In 1991, Gustavus awarded Holm a Distinguished Alumni Citation, which recognizes outstanding and exceptional professional achievement, such as to bring unusual honor to the individual in his or her field or endeavor. Holm had also served the College as an author for its annual Author Day events organized by the Gustavus Library Associates. While a student at Gustavus, Holm was active in choir and theater and also wrote for the student newspaper, The Gustavian Weekly.
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