August 17, 2004

The Michigan Center for the Book today announced the latest Literary Landmark in Michigan - the boyhood home of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and Saginaw native Theodore Roethke.  The Theodore Roethke House joins a distinguished group of historic literary sites that includes the homes of William Faulkner, Robert Frost, Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, among other well-known American writers.

In addition to receiving the Pulitzer Prize in 1954 for The Waking, Roethke was the recipient of an array of honors for his poetry, including two National Book Awards and the Bollingen Prize.

"Nominating the Theodore Roethke House as Michigan's third Literary Landmark was an obvious choice," noted Linda Farynk, director of the Saginaw Valley State University Library and Michigan Center for the Book board member.  "Growing up in this house and working in the backyard greenhouses of his family's floral company provided the fertile ground for so much of Roethke's poetry."

"This designation pays tribute to one of Michigan's true literary treasures and shines a spotlight on his work and his life," said State Librarian Christie Pearson Brandau.  "It also plays an important role in our ongoing efforts to foster a greater knowledge and appreciation of Michigan's rich literary heritage."

A public celebration of this national honor will take place on Sept. 29 at the Theodore Roethke House, located at 1805 Gratiot Avenue in Saginaw.  The festivities will begin with an afternoon dedication of the Literary Landmark plaque and continue that evening with a dinner featuring another Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, W.D. Snodgrass, as the keynote speaker.  Roethke's cousin, Mary Ellen Roethke, will take part in the celebration along with local dignitaries, members of the Friends of Theodore Roethke Foundation, and representatives from the Michigan Center for the Book at the Library of Michigan, which initiated the application for Literary Landmark status.

Related events include a display of Roethke materials and photographs from the archives of the Public Libraries of Saginaw at the Hoyt Main Library in downtown Saginaw.  The Melvin J. Zahnow Library at Saginaw Valley State University will host an exhibit of scarce editions of Roethke's works on loan from Jett Whitehead Rare Books of Bay City.

Funding for the Literary Landmark award and celebration has been provided by the Michigan Center for the Book, the Public Libraries of Saginaw, the Saginaw Valley State University Library, and local businesses and organizations.

The Michigan Center for the Book works with Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA) to locate and designate Michigan Literary Landmarks as part of FOLUSA's efforts to encourage the dedication of historic literary sites around the country.  Michigan Literary Landmarks have been designated in honor of John Voelker, the Michigan judge who wrote Anatomy of a Murder, in 2002 and Dudley Randall, the founder of Broadside Press and a Detroit poet laureate, in 2001.

The Michigan Center for the Book is a program of the Library of Michigan.  The program seeks to promote an awareness of books, reading, literacy, authors and Michigan's literary heritage, drawing on the resources of the Library of Michigan and its affiliate organizations and working cooperatively with many organizations to develop programming.  Its affiliates include 20 libraries across the state.

The Library of Michigan is part of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries, whose mission is to enrich the quality of life for Michigan residents by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity.  The department also includes the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Michigan Film Office and the Michigan Historical Center.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.