Biography

Terence Patrick Winch was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 in 1945. He grew up in an Irish neighborhood in the Bronx, the child of Irish immigrants. In 1971, he moved to Washington, DC, where he became involved with the Mass Transit readings in Dupont Circle

Dupont Circle

Dupont Circle is a traffic circle, park, neighborhood, and historic district in Northwest Washington, D.C. The traffic circle is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue NW, Connecticut Avenue NW, New Hampshire Avenue NW, P Street NW, and 19th Street NW...

. He published the first issue of Mass Transit magazine and co-founded Some of Us Press with Michael Lally

Michael Lally (poet)

Michael Lally is an American-born poet and the author of twenty-seven books of poetry. He is considered part of the New York School of poetry, which began in the early 1950s and is acknowledged as one of the most influential movements of American poetry...

 and others. His writing, which shows New York School and other influences, has been widely published and anthologized. Primarily a poet, he has published fiction and non-fiction as well. He was the subject of a profile on National Public Radio's All Things Considered

All Things Considered

All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...

 in 1986, and has been featured a number of times on The Writer's Almanac

The Writer's Almanac

The Writer's Almanac is a daily radio and on-line program and podcast of poetry and historical interest pieces, usually of literary significance. It is hosted by Garrison Keillor and is produced and distributed by American Public Media...

 radio program. From 1975 to 1981, he was a regular book reviewer for The Washington Post and has also been a contributor to The Village Voice, The Washingtonian, The Dictionary of Irish Literature, The Oxford Companion to American Poetry, and other publications.

Terence Winch has also played Irish traditional music from childhood, and co-founded the band Celtic Thunder

Celtic Thunder

Celtic Thunder is a singing group composed of male soloists who perform both solo and ensemble numbers. Celtic Thunder debuted in August 2007 at The Helix in Dublin, Ireland...

 in 1977, writing much of the band's material for its three albums. His best-known composition is When New York Was Irish, which has been covered by scores of other artists.

Writing

Winch has published four books of poems and two story collections:

• Boy Drinkers (Hanging Loose Press, 2007)
• Irish Musicians/American Friends (Coffee House Press, 1985), American Book Award
  American Book Award
  The American Book Award was established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation. It seeks to recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background, or genre...
  
   winner
• The Great Indoors
  The Great Indoors
  -History:The Great Indoors concept was introduced in 1997 by Sears. They believed the chain could have 150 stores within the next 10 years. However, the chain did not prove successful, and Sears started closing stores. All stores in California are closing, with two remaining in Burbank, CA and...
  
  (Story Line Press, 1995), Columbia Book Award winner
• The Drift of Things (The Figures, 2001)
• That Special Place (Hanging Loose, 2004), non-fiction stories
• Contenders (Story Line, 1989), short stories

Music

As performer, composer:

• When New York Was Irish: Songs & Tunes by Terence Winch (Celtic Thunder Music, 2007), a CD anthology of compositions by Winch
• Three albums with Celtic Thunder, a traditional Irish group, featuring original music by Winch:
• Celtic Thunder (Green Linnet, 1981)
• The Light of Other Days (Green Linnet, 1989)
• Hard New York Days (Kells, 1995).

As producer:

• Creation's Journey: Native American Music (Smithsonian/Folkways 1994)
• Wood That Sings: Indian Fiddle Music of the Americas (Smithsonian/Folkways, 1998)
• Beautiful Beyond: Christian Songs in Native Languages (Smithsonian/Folkways, 2004)
• Pulling Down the Clouds: Contemporary Native Writers Read Their Work (Smithsonian/NMAI, 2007)
• Sounds of Indian Summer: Contemporary Native Music (Smithsonian/NMAI, 2008)

External links

• Official website: http://www.terencewinch.com
• Poems by Terence Winch: http://www.poemhunter.com/terence-winch/