- Paul Engle
Paul Engle (
October 12 ,1908 -1991) was a noted Americanpoet ,writer , editor, andnovelist . He is perhaps best remembered as the long-time director of theIowa Writers' Workshop and as founder of the International Writing Program (IWP), both at theUniversity of Iowa .Engle is often mistakenly credited with having founded the Iowa Writers' Workshop (an honor that more appropriately belongs to his predecessor,
Wilbur Schramm ). Nonetheless, perhaps no one helped to better establish the reputation of the venerable writing program than Engle. During his tenure as director (1941-1965), he was responsible for luring some of the finest writers of the day toIowa City .Robert Lowell ,John Berryman ,Kurt Vonnegut and many other prominent novelists and poets served as faculty under Engle. Additionally, Engle increased enrollment and oversaw numerous students of future fame and influence, includingFlannery O'Connor , Philip Levine,Donald Justice , andRobert Bly . During his tenure, Engle raised millions of dollars in support of the program whose shape and direction proved the model for the hundreds of writing programs that have followed.In 1967, following his departure as director of the workshop, Engle and future-second-wife Hua-ling Nieh co-founded The University of Iowa's International Writing Program, which provided for dozens of published authors from around the world to visit Iowa City each year to write and collaborate. Engle left the Writer's Workshop permanently in 1969 to devote himself full-time to the international program. For his work with the IWP, Engle was nominated (along with Nieh Engle) for a 1976
Nobel Peace Prize .Paul Engle grew up in the Wellington Heights section of
Cedar Rapids . Engle graduated fromWashington High School (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) , and later attendedCoe College ,The University of Iowa ,Columbia University , andOxford University (where he studied as aRhodes Scholar ). As a student at Iowa, Engle was one of the earliest recipients of an advanced degree awarded for creative work: his first collection "Worn Earth", which went on to win theYale Series of Younger Poets . His second book, "American Song" (1934), was given a rave front-page review in theNew York Times Book Review and was even, briefly, a bestseller. From 1954-59, Engle served as series editor for theO. Henry Prize .At the time of his death (in
Chicago 'sO'Hare Airport on his way to accept an award), Engle was the author of more than a dozen collections of poetry, a novel, a memoir, an opera libretto (forPhilip Bezanson ), and even a children's book. In addition, Engle wrote numerous articles and reviews for many of the largest periodicals of his day.External links
* [http://www.robertbly.com/r_e_paulengle.html "Remembering Paul Engle in Iowa City" by Robert Bly]
* [http://desmoinesregister.com/extras/iowans/engle.html Famous Iowans: Paul Engle (The Des Moines Register)]
* [http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/spec-coll/MSC/ToMsc550/MsC514/msc514.html The Papers of Paul Engle at The University of Iowa (includes short biography)]
* [http://www.uiowa.edu/uiowapress/dancomof.htm "A Community of Writers: Paul Engle and the Iowa Writers' Workshop" By Robert Dana, ed.]
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