Nicholas Ranson

Poet

Fort Myers, FL
Florida US

Author's Bio

 

Royal Air Force (UK): Flight Lieutenant, reconnaissance pilot (17 Squadron) serving in Germany with NATO's 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force, 1964-67 in the tactical nuclear role.

B.A., M.A. (Cambridge University), 1962, 1966

Ph.D, Case Western Reserve University 1974; Assoc. Prof & Chair of English Dept, University of Akron, OH, 1973-1997, 1997-2000

Editor and Co-Founder (with Robert Wallace), Bits Press, Cleveland, 1974. Bits Press published Bits, a magazine of short poetry, from 1975 till 1981. We hand set and hand printed books, chapbooks, special editions of poetry and anthologies of light verse. I personally set and/or printed Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Oliver's The Night Traveler, Elton Glaser's Peripheral Vision, Herb Scott's She Dreams of Milk, Mark Irwin's Umbrellas in the Snow, and Gavin Ewart's Nine New Poems.

POEMS (selections)

Track Made Good (Cleveland: Bits Press, 1977). A chapbook of poems published with the aid of an award of $750 from the Cleveland Area Arts Council.

Journeying (Atmosphere Press, 2022). A book of poems in three sections: Flying, Family, Foraging.

"Advice to Young Poets" in Everyman '79; "Summer Sublet" in The Spoon River Quarterly, (No.1), Winter 1977; "Love Poem" in Poetry I, 1976; "In Class Theme" in The Mississippi Review, 5, No.2 (1976); "My Witch" in Twigs, 13 (No.1), Fall 1976; "Geometry" in The Spoon River Quarterly (No.2), Spring 1976; "Eunice has a mouth that kills" and "Who gave you those bruises?" in The Barataria Review, No.2 (1976); "To My Daughter" in The Mississippi Review, 5, No.1 (1976);"Poetaster" and "Van" in The Lake Superior Review, 6 (No.3), “Shaker Lakes” in Mangrove Review 16, (2019)

POETRY ACTIVITIES (selections)

Poetry Workshop Leader, Shell Point Writers' Guild, Fort Myers, 2021-24

Featured Speaker/Judge: Ohio Poetry Day, Akron Area Chapter workshop, November 1977
Poetry Workshop Leader: Medina Writers' Workshop, October 1977

Poetry Judge: Manuscript Club of Akron Annual Workshop, May 1977  

Green High School, 5 day Visiting Poet residence, Spring 1977 paid for by Ohio Arts
Council

John Hay High School, Cleveland. 5 day Visiting Poet residence, Spring 1977 paid by the Ohio Arts Council

Cleveland Area Arts Council Bicentennial Poem Commission, 2nd prize: "A Poem for
America's Two Hundredth Birthday," May 1976

Workshop Leader. CAAC City Pride Bicentennial Poetry Project, May 1976

Poetry Reading, Coventry Village Library, Cleveland Heights, sponsored by the Cleveland Area
Arts Council, December 1975

Poetry Reading, Cleveland Public Library, August 1975 (Honorarium)

Poetry Reading, Case Western Reserve University, English Department, October 1975
(Honorarium)

Case Western Reserve University FM Station WRUW: Interview by C.A. Smith, and reading of
my poetry, broadcast, June 23, 1975.

 

Publications & Prizes

Books:
Journeying (Atmosphere Press, 2022)
,
Track Made Good (Bits Press, 1977)
Journals:
Lake Superior Review
,
Mississippi Review
,
Wind

Personal Favorites

Favorite authors: 
Dylan Thomas, W.H.Auden, Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath, William Stafford, Mary Oliver, Hayden Carruth, Ted Kooser

More Information

Gives readings: 
Yes
Travels for readings: 
Yes
Identifies as: 
British, White
Prefers to work with: 
Adults, Seniors, Veterans
Fluent in: 
English
Born in: 
Chester
United Kingdom
Raised in: 
Prestwick, AYR
United Kingdom
Ayrshire
Please note: All information in the Directory is provided by the listed writers or their representatives.
Last update: Jun 12, 2024