Linda Gregg (1942-2019)
Graywolf Press is deeply saddened at the death of Linda Gregg. Her presence, like her work, was passionate, dazzling, and enduring. Since the publication of her exquisite Too Bright to See in 1981 to the publication of her award-winning All of It Singing: New and Selected Poems in 2008, Graywolf has been honored to be Linda Gregg’s publisher. She is one of the greats, and she is missed.
“I first encountered Linda Gregg’s voice, back when I was a student, via her poem ‘Let Birds.’ I loved that poem’s fearlessness, which seemed to be responsible for both its wild leaping energy, and its almost otherworldly intelligence. Having lived with her poems for decades now, I have learned immeasurably—and been immeasurably consoled—by those things, as well as by her belief in the rocks, the earth, the body, the sea, passion, rage, joy and calm. It’s that abundance, and the clean sharp mind capable of making meaning of it all, that most characterizes Gregg for me. No—not Gregg, but Linda. Because it is Linda whom I miss and love. Linda who was my teacher, my colleague and friend—and who remains a powerful ambassador for poetry’s weight and its light, for its wisdom and purity as an art form and a way of life.”—Tracy K. Smith, Poet Laureate of the United States
