Editing Theodore Roethke (section)

==Biography==
Roethke was born in [[Saginaw, Michigan]], and grew up on the west side of the Saginaw River. His father, Otto, was a [[German American|German]] immigrant, a market-gardener who owned a large local 25-[[acre]] [[greenhouse]], along with his brother (Theodore's uncle). Much of Theodore's childhood was spent in this greenhouse, as reflected by the use of natural images in his poetry. In early 1923 when Roethke was 14 years old, his uncle died by suicide and his father died of cancer. Roethke noted that these events affected him deeply and influenced his work.

Roethke attended the [[University of Michigan]], earning a [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] ''[[magna cum laude]]'' and [[Phi Beta Kappa]] in 1929. He continued on at Michigan to receive an [[Master of Arts|M.A.]] in English in 1936. He briefly attended the [[University of Michigan School of Law]] before resuming his graduate studies at [[Harvard University]], where he studied under the poet [[Robert Hillyer]]. Abandoning graduate study because of the [[Great Depression]], he taught English at several universities, including [[Michigan State University]], [[Lafayette College]], [[Pennsylvania State University]], and [[Bennington College]].<ref>Kalaidjian, Walter, [http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/m_r/roethke/bio.htm "Theodore Roethke's Life and Career"], ''Modern American Poetry''. Retrieved 14 December 2008.</ref>

In 1940, he was expelled from his position at Lafayette{{why|date=November 2023}} and he returned to Michigan. Prior to his return, he had an affair with established poet and critic [[Louise Bogan]], one of his strongest early supporters.<ref name="rpo">{{Cite web| editor-last=Lancashire | editor-first=Ian | title=Selected Poetry of Louise Bogan (1897-1970) | work=Representative Poetry On-line | publisher=University of Toronto Press | year=2005 | url=http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poets/bogan-louise | access-date=2006-07-19}}</ref> While teaching at [[Michigan State University]] in [[East Lansing, Michigan|East Lansing]], he began to suffer from [[Bipolar disorder|manic depression]], which fueled his poetic impetus. His last teaching position was at the [[University of Washington]], leading to an association with the poets of the [[American Northwest]].

Some of his best known students included [[James Wright (poet)|James Wright]], [[Carolyn Kizer]], [[Tess Gallagher]], [[Jack Gilbert]], [[Richard Hugo]], and [[David Wagoner]].<ref>[http://www.anchoragepress.com/calendar/performing_arts/event_fe84ca94-5649-11e0-9747-0017a48d18e4.html Article on Roethke's teaching career] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120717193603/http://www.anchoragepress.com/calendar/performing_arts/event_fe84ca94-5649-11e0-9747-0017a48d18e4.html |date=2012-07-17 }}, ''anchoragepress.com''.</ref> The highly introspective nature of Roethke's work greatly influenced the poet [[Sylvia Plath]]. So influential was Roethke's poetry on Plath's mature poetry that when she submitted "Poem for a Birthday" to ''Poetry'' magazine, it was turned down because it displayed "too imposing a debt to Roethke."<ref>Diane Middleton, ''Her Husband: Hughes and Plath – A Marriage, (N.Y. : Viking, 2003), pp. 109–110.''</ref>

In 1952, Roethke received a [[Ford Foundation]] grant to "expand on his knowledge of philosophy and theology", and spent most of his time from June 1952 to September 1953 reading primarily existential works. Among the philosophers and theologians he read were [[Søren Kierkegaard|Sören Kierkegaard]], [[Evelyn Underhill]], [[Meister Eckhart]], [[Paul Tillich]], [[Jakob Böhme|Jacob Boehme]], and [[Martin Buber]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Khailova|first=Ladislava|date=2004|title=The Spiral Movement of the Old Woman's Rocking: Influence of Buber's Philosophy on Roethke's 'Meditations of an Old Woman'|journal=ANQ|volume=2|pages=45–52}}</ref>

In 1953, Roethke married Beatrice O'Connell, a former student. Roethke was a heavy drinker and susceptible to bouts of mental illness, something not uncommon among American poets of his generation. He did not initially inform O'Connell of his repeated episodes of [[mania]] and [[depression (mood)|depression]], yet she remained dedicated to him and his work. She ensured the posthumous publication of his final volume of poetry, ''The Far Field'', as well as a book of his collected children's verse, ''Dirty Dinky and Other Creatures'', in 1973. From 1955 to 1956 he spent one year in Italy on a scholarship of the [[U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission]].

In 1961, "The Return" was featured on George Abbe's album ''Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry'' on [[Folkways Records]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Anthology of Contemporary American Poetry {{!}} Smithsonian Folkways|url=https://folkways.si.edu/george-abbe/anthology-of-contemporary-american-poetry/album/smithsonian|website=Smithsonian Folkways Recordings|access-date=16 April 2018}}</ref> The following year, Roethke released his own album on the label entitled, ''Words for the Wind: Poems of Theodore Roethke''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Words for the Wind: Poems of Theodore Roethke {{!}} Smithsonian Folkways|url=https://folkways.si.edu/theodore-roethke/words-for-the-wind-poems-of/poetry/album/smithsonian|website=Smithsonian Folkways Recordings|access-date=16 April 2018}}</ref>

In 1961, Roethke was chosen as one of 50 outstanding Americans of meritorious performance in the fields of endeavor, to be Guest of Honor to the first annual Banquet of the Golden Plate in Monterey, California. This was awarded by vote of the National Panel of Distinguished Americans of the [[Academy of Achievement]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}</ref>

He suffered a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] in his friend S. Rasnics' swimming pool in 1963 and died on [[Bainbridge Island, Washington]], aged 55. The pool was later filled in and is now a [[zen rock garden]] open to the public at the [[Bloedel Reserve]], a 150-acre (60 hectare) former private estate. There is no marker to indicate that the rock garden was the site of Roethke's death.