Getting Here

About the Book

This collection of the author's works spans 35 years. A number of the poems were included in manuscripts that won Avery and Jules Hopwood awards at the University of Michigan in 1974 (Minor Award) and 1976 (Major Award). Others date back to the author's early days in the cornfields and woods of central Illinois. The newest arise from his adopted land, western Washington, where he has made his home for 24 years. Imagery and sound convey meaning, not explanation. Now available in ePub format and on iBooks.

About the Author

Born in 1955 Pontiac, Illinois to a mother with an M.D., (General Surgeon), and a father who was a professional ballet dancer, actor, and off-Broadway producer, Thomas was gifted with a different perspective, conflicting with the norms of small town 1950's and '60's Midwestern United States. At the University of Michigan from 1972-76, he studied with Donald Hall and Gregory Orr, and met with Robert Bly. Thomas won Avery and Jules Hopwood Awards in both the Minor and Major Poetry categories, and his poem, Approaching Here, was choreographed and performed and UM. He worked as Detroit Correspondent for a St. Louis based Rock and Jazz magazine, Concert News, covering many of the major acts of the mid-1970's. Thomas lived and worked in Manhattan, NYC in the late 70's, and then retraced his path to Illinois. In 1981, he camped his way West, to Washington State, where he has lived happily ever since, doing infrequent readings at local colleges and universities, and working on poetry in the background while he pursued a civil service career, marriage, and family.