Larry D. Thomas
Encyclopedia
Larry D. Thomas is an American poet. He was the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate, and in 2009 was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters
.
. When he was three years old, the family moved to Midland, Texas
, where he attended public schools through the eighth grade. In 1961 the family moved to Brownwood, Texas
, where he attended Brownwood High School, graduating in 1965 as a member of the National Honor Society.
After graduation from high school, he attended Howard Payne University
in Brownwood for two years, supporting himself by working afternoons, evenings and weekends as a district circulation manager for the Brownwood Bulletin
newspaper. He transferred to the University of Houston
in 1967, attending night classes on a full-time basis until he graduated in 1970 with a B. A. degree in English literature. While attending the University of Houston, he supported himself through his full-time employment as a district caseworker for the Harris County Social Services Department.
Texas Institute of Letters
The Texas Institute of Letters is an organization devoted to the promotion of literature and literacy in Texas.Founded in 1936, the TIL offers awards to outstanding books written by Texas authors, or dealing with Texas subjects. The TIL also co-administrates the Dobie Paisano Fellowship, which...
.
Early life and education
Thomas was born in 1947 in the small west Texas town of HaskellHaskell, Texas
Haskell is a city in central Haskell County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,106. It is the county seat of Haskell County.-Geography:Haskell is located at ....
. When he was three years old, the family moved to Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
, where he attended public schools through the eighth grade. In 1961 the family moved to Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood, Texas
Brownwood is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,813 at the 2000 census.-History:The original site of the Brown County seat of Brownwood was on the east of Pecan Bayou. A dispute arose over land and water rights, and the settlers were forced...
, where he attended Brownwood High School, graduating in 1965 as a member of the National Honor Society.
After graduation from high school, he attended Howard Payne University
Howard Payne University
Howard Payne University is a four-year private university located in Brownwood, Texas.Currently the university enrolls 1,400 full-time students. Howard Payne is known for the Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom, its Music program and its Christian Studies program...
in Brownwood for two years, supporting himself by working afternoons, evenings and weekends as a district circulation manager for the Brownwood Bulletin
Brownwood Bulletin
Brownwood Bulletin is a daily newspaper based in Brownwood, Texas, USA. The Brownwood Bulletin traces its roots to two 19th century weeklies, the Brownwood Banner and the Brownwood Bulletin. Will Mayes, a Brownwood attorney, purchased the Bulletin in the 1880s and in the 1890s purchased the Banner...
newspaper. He transferred to the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
in 1967, attending night classes on a full-time basis until he graduated in 1970 with a B. A. degree in English literature. While attending the University of Houston, he supported himself through his full-time employment as a district caseworker for the Harris County Social Services Department.
Naval service and early works
Thomas completed a four-year tour of duty in the U. S. Navy immediately after receiving his bachelor’s degree, serving as a correctional counselor in the Navy Correctional Center, Norfolk, Virginia. During his naval service, he started writing poetry consistently on weekends, a disciplined practice he would maintain throughout his 23-year, post-naval career in the adult probation field. By the time he retired as a branch director of the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (in Houston) in 1998, he had published a large number of poems in numerous national literary journals, including the Southwest Review, Poet Lore, The Small Pond Magazine of Literature, The Texas Review, Puerto del Sol, The Chattahoochee Review, The Cape Rock, and Writers' Forum.Subsequent works
In January 2001, Thomas published his first collection of poetry, The Lighthouse Keeper, with Timberline Press (Fulton, MO), a handset letterpress edition illustrated with original linocuts and a serigraph. He was awarded the 2001 Texas Review Poetry Prize for Amazing Grace. The volume also won the 2003 Western Heritage Wrangler Award, a national award for a book of poems celebrating the historical or contemporary American West, and was a Spur Award finalist. His subsequent volumes of verse received several significant prizes and awards, including the 2004 Texas Review Poetry Prize and 2004 Violet Crown Award (both won by Where Skulls Speak Wind, Texas Review Press 2004); three Pushcart Prize nominations; four additional Spur Award finalist citations; and a Poets' Prize nomination (West Chester University). In April 2007, he was appointed by the Texas Legislature as the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate. He was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in April 2009.Awards
- 2001: Texas Review Poetry Prize
- 2003: Western Heritage Wrangler Award
- 2004: Texas Review Poetry Prize
- 2004: Violet Crown Book Award
- 2008: Texas Poet Laureate (appointed in 2007)
- 2009: Texas Institute of Letters