Remembering our great and dear friend Bill Holm, who passed away February 25, 2009. Stories at Minnesota Public Radio MinnPost TwinCities.com Star Tribune                  

Now available

Readings and Appearances

Coming up!

January 29, 2009 - Reading at Grinnell College, Grinnell, IA, sponsored by the Center for Prairie Studies - Thomas Dean

February 22, 2009 - Reading at Unitarian Church of Davenport, Iowa - Thomas Dean

Past events

May 4, 2008 - Reading at Arts for Living Center, Burlington, IA, sponsored by the Leopold Heritage Group - Thomas Dean, Steve Semken

May 10, 2008 - Reading at Zandbroz Variety, Fargo, ND - Bill Holm, Mark Vinz

May 17, 2008 - Reading at The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis, MN; co-sponsored by Milkweed Editions - Gary Deason, Jim Heynen, Thomas Dean

November 13, 2008 - Reading at Common Good Bookstore, St. Paul, MN - Thomas Dean, Gary Deason, Jim Heynen

November 14, 2008 - Midwest/Modern Language Association Conference, Minneapolis Marriott City Center - Roundtable Discussion Panel with Gary Deason, Jim Heynen, and Thomas Dean

November 18, 2008 - Reading at The University of Nebraska, Lincoln - Thomas Dean

November 19, 2008 - Reading at The University of Nebraska, Omaha - Thomas Dean

Reading at The Loft Literary Center, Minneapolis
 May 17, 2008
co-sponsored by Milkweed Editions

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Read Amy Goetzman’s article in MinnPost

Hear a short review of the book and reading
of Bob Artley’s “The Treasure” by Keri Holmes on The Kaleidoscope Bookstore’s “Reading Room” radio program, October 19, 2007

from Ice Cube Press

The work of late Minnesota author Paul Gruchow has often been described as beautifully intense, bard-like, and prophetic. While plying his talents as seer and naturalist, Gruchow was also a master of trenchant insight into the right ways of living, as well as the foibles and hypocrisies of modern society. This collection honors the memory of Paul Gruchow through the words of the many he touched as mentor, teacher, colleague, friend. The Grace of Grass and Water brings together new writings by award-winning authors Mary Pipher, Bill Holm, Carol Bly, Jim Heynen, Mark Vinz, Gary Deason, Louis Martinelli, and Bob Artley, an introduction by editor Thomas Dean, as well as one of Paul Gruchow’s last essays.

We mourn the loss of contributor Carol Bly and extend our deepest sympathies to family, friends, and colleagues.

Praise for The Grace of Grass and Water

“The fine essays in The Grace of Grass and Water: Writing in Honor of Paul Gruchow offer personal recollections and reflections about Paul Gruchow’s life and a sense from his peers of his vital contribution to the literature of place. The inclusion of Paul Gruchow’s own essay ‘The Meaning of Natural History’ is sufficient reason to own the book.  The essay, here published for the general reader for the first time, is a history of the greats of American nature writing. It offers readers a superb overview of the growth of a field, as well as insights into why, now more than ever, we must understand the earth in order to save it.”

—Emilie Buchwald, publisher emeritus, Milkweed Editions; publisher, The Gryphon Press

“This elegantly produced collection of memorial essays is a treasure not only for those who cherished Paul Gruchow as a lyric essayist and fond friend but as a clarion voice for political courage.  Paul and I were kids together—working on the student paper at the University, pretending our way into being writers.  As the decades passed it seemed he was always there, saying the right thing at the right moment.  And then, shockingly, he wasn’t there.   It’s still a signal loss, and this book of essays by some of our best essayists and poets goes a long way toward reminding us of his charm and his fierce courage, and especially his enduring hopes for the planet.”

—Patricia Hampl, author, The Florist’s Daughter: A Memoir

“Beloved in his home place, Paul Gruchow deserves to be known far and wide, and this lovely volume makes clear exactly why.”

—Bill McKibben, author, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future

“A useful introduction to Gruchow’s work and a lovely tribute to his life.  Its reminiscences, appreciations, and analyses are as eloquent and insightful as the books of the man it honors.”

—David Pichaske, author, Rooted: Seven Midwest Writers of Place

“As these essays reveal, Paul Gruchow was a brilliant writer and a profound thinker who never failed to amaze his friends and acquaintances with his wisdom and kindness.  Gruchow’s work—like his life—resonates with passion and intensity. Whether writing about the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, the Beartooth Range of Montana, or the Sandhill cranes of Nebraska, Gruchow makes us see, think, and feel in new ways and, ultimately, gaze inward to confront the hard, painful questions of our own humanity—something that Gruchow knew all too well in his own tragic life.  He was our generation’s Thoreau.  The Grace of Grass and Water is a deeply moving and fitting tribute to the man and his work.”

—Thom Tammaro, coeditor, Inheriting the Land: Contemporary Voices from the Midwest, Imagining Home: Writing from the Midwest, and To Sing Along the Way: Minnesota Women Poets from Pre-Territorial Days to the Present

“We are fortunate Paul Gruchow was a writer, for America stands in dire need of his vision and understanding. This collection of beautiful essays will serve as an invaluable introduction to the complicated life of a true American hero.”

—Paul Theobald, author, Teaching the Commons: Place, Pride, and the Renewal of Community