Vita -- The Texas Poet

Larry D. Thomas Vita (2008)

Educational Background:

BA (English literature), University of Houston (1970)

Current Status:

Retired (1998), Harris County Adult Probation Department, Houston, Texas

Branch Director 1983-1998

1998 to present: full-time poet

Honorary Listings:

Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers (Poets & Writers, Inc.)

Who’s Who in America

Publications (including honors and awards):

Books (poetry):

The Lighthouse Keeper (Timberline Press, 2001)

Small Press Review “pick-of-the-issue” (May/June 2001)

Amazing Grace (Texas Review Press, 2001)

Winner, 2001 Texas Review Poetry Prize

Winner, 2003 Western Heritage Award

Finalist, 2002 Spur Award (Western Writers of America)

The Woodlanders (Pecan Grove Press, 2002)

Finalist, Pecan Grove Press National Chapbook Competition

2002 Violet Crown Book Awards Special Citation

Where Skulls Speak Wind (Texas Review Press, 2004)

Winner, 2004 Texas Review Poetry Award

Winner, 2004 Violet Crown Book Award

Finalist, 2005 Spur Award (Western Writers of America)

Stark Beauty (Timberline Press, 2005)

Nominee, 2007 Poet’s Prize (Nicholas Roerich Museum)

First Runner-Up, 2006 Western Heritage Award

Finalist, 2006 Spur Award (Western Writers of America)

With the Light of Apricots (published online/Lily Literary Review, 2007)

Eros (published online/Slow Trains Literary Journal, 2007)

The Fraternity of Oblivion (Timberline Press, 2008)

New and Selected Poems (TCU Press, 2008)

Prose/Reviews:

Concho River Review

The Huntsville Item (newspaper)

JASAT: Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas

The Texas Review

Anthologies:

Anthology of Magazine Verse & Yearbook of American Poetry (1997)

The Big Roundup (New West Library, 2001)

descant Fifty Years: The Literary Journal of TCU (TCU Press, 2007)

In the Yard: A Poetry Anthology (Old Mountain Press, 2006)

New Texas (2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005)

Open Range: Poetry of the Reimagined West (Ghost Road Press, 2007)

A Students’ Treasury of Texas Poetry (TCU Press, 2007)

Texas in Poetry 2 (TCU Press, 2002)

The Weight of Addition: An Anthology of TX Poetry (Mutabilis Pr., 2007)

Journals and Magazines (selective listing):

Poetry-over 250 poems in such journals and magazines as the following:

American Indian Culture and Research Journal

Ampersand Poetry Journal (online)

Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review

Brevities: A Mini-Mag of Minimalist Poems

Cape Rock

Chattahoochee Review

Christian Science Monitor

Concho River Review

Cottonwood

descant: Fort Worth’s Journal of Poetry and Fiction

Desert Candle

Green Hills Literary Lantern

International Poetry Review

Iron Horse Literary Review

JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association

Langdon Review of the Arts in Texas

Louisiana Literature

Midwest Quarterly

Plainsongs

Poet Lore

Poetry Depth Quarterly

Puerto del Sol

Radiant Turnstile (online)

REAL: Regarding Arts & Letters

Red Rock Review

Right Hand Pointing (online)

Rio Grande Review

RiverSedge

Rosebud Magazine

Slow Trains Literary Journal (online)

Small Pond Magazine of Literature

Southwest Review

Southwestern American Literature

Spoon River Poetry Review

Sulphur River Literary Review

Texas Observer

Texas Review

Touchstone Literary Journal

Valparaiso Poetry Review (online)

Webster Review

Whole Notes

Windhover

Writers’ Forum

Other Honors:

Two Pushcart Prize nominations

Houston Area Barnes & Noble Booksellers Author of the Month (June 2002)

2008 Texas Poet Laureate (Term: 19 April 2008 through 18 April 2009)

Ron Stone Foundation Grant ($2,000.00 cash award) (October 2007)

Critical Reviews:

Received positive critical reviews in the following newspapers and journals:

The Houston Chronicle

The San Antonio Express-News

The Desert-Mountain Times

The Texas Review

Texas Books in Review

Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review

Louisiana Literature

Iron Horse Literary Review

Concho River Review

Windhover

Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas (JASAT)

Recent Keynote/Featured Speaker Presentations (selective listing):

Angelo State University, Texas (February 2002)

East Central University, Oklahoma (November 2002)

Arkansas Tech University, Arkansas (November 2003)

Del Mar College, Texas (November 2004)

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Texas (January 2005)

Poetry Society of Texas, Summer Conference, Austin (July 2005)

Langdon Weekend (Langdon Review of the Arts in Texas), Granbury (Sept. 2005)

William Woods University, Missouri (April 2006)

First Friday Poetry Reading Series, Houston (May 2006)

National Federation of State Poetry Societies, San Antonio (June 2006)

Texas A&M University, Southwest Writers & Artists Festival (October 2006)

Blinn College, Texas (Sigma Kappa Delta) (March 2007)

Austin International Poetry Festival, Texas (April 2007)

Langdon Weekend (Langdon Review of the Arts in Texas), Granbury (Sept. 2007)

Univ. of Houston, Texas Association of Creative Writing Teachers (Sept. 2007)

Midland College/Permian Basin Poetry Society, Midland (Oct. 2007)

Del Mar College, Texas (November 2007)

Readings, Signings and Workshops:

Over 100 appearances in past 10 years at colleges, universities, writers’ conferences and bookstores throughout the Southwest.

Email: poetldt@sbcglobal.net

Web Site: http://www.LarryDThomas.com

Hear Larry Thomas read his own work .......... Click here to LISTEN