Joseph Langland
Encyclopedia
Joseph Langland was an American
poet.
on the family farm. Langland received both a bachelor's degree (1940) and a master's degree (1941) from the University of Iowa
. He served in the U.S. Army as an infantryman during World War II
. His first collection of poems For Harold (1945) was written for his younger brother who was killed in action in the Philippines
.
After the war, Langland taught part-time at the University of Iowa
and then joined the faculty of University of Wyoming
, teaching there from 1948 to 1959. He then moved to the University of Massachusetts Amherst
, where he founded the MFA Program for Poets & Writers
. He was a faculty member at UMass from 1959–1979 and a professor emeritus from 1979 until his death in 2007.
His work appeared in Massachusetts Review, Paris Review, The Nation, The New Yorker.
He married Judith Gail Wood on June 26, 1943. They had three children: Joseph Thomas Jr., (1946?); Elizabeth, (1948); and Paul, (1951).
He died April 9, 2007 at his home in New Rochelle, New York
at the age of 90. His papers are held at Luther College
in Iowa.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
poet.
Life
He was raised in Northeastern IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
on the family farm. Langland received both a bachelor's degree (1940) and a master's degree (1941) from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. He served in the U.S. Army as an infantryman during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His first collection of poems For Harold (1945) was written for his younger brother who was killed in action in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
After the war, Langland taught part-time at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
and then joined the faculty of University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
, teaching there from 1948 to 1959. He then moved to the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
, where he founded the MFA Program for Poets & Writers
MFA Program for Poets & Writers
The MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is a graduate creative writing program.-History:The MFA Program for Poets & Writers was founded in the 1960s by poet Joseph Langland and is part of the English Department at the University of Massachusetts...
. He was a faculty member at UMass from 1959–1979 and a professor emeritus from 1979 until his death in 2007.
His work appeared in Massachusetts Review, Paris Review, The Nation, The New Yorker.
He married Judith Gail Wood on June 26, 1943. They had three children: Joseph Thomas Jr., (1946?); Elizabeth, (1948); and Paul, (1951).
He died April 9, 2007 at his home in New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
at the age of 90. His papers are held at Luther College
Luther College (Iowa)
Luther College is a four-year, residential liberal arts institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Decorah, Iowa, USA...
in Iowa.
Works
- The Green Town (1956)
- The Wheel of Summer (1963)
- An Interview and Fourteen Poems (1973)
- Any Body’s Song, Doubleday, 1980 (National Poetry Series)
- A Dream of Love (A poem with etchings), Pleiades Press (1986)
- Twelve Preludes and Postludes (1988)