Lee Meitzen Grue
Born(1934-02-08)February 8, 1934
Plaquemine, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedApril 3, 2021(2021-04-03) (aged 87)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
EducationUniversity of New Orleans (BA)
Warren Wilson College (MFA)
Occupation(s)Poet, novelist
Years active1972–2021
SpouseRonald David Grue (married 1963–2000)
Children3

Lee Meitzen Grue (February 8, 1934 – April 3, 2021)[1][2] was an American poet and educator. She was the founder and director of the New Orleans Poetry Forum, and has been referred to as that city's unofficial poet laureate.[3] She was editor of the literary journal The New Laurel Review.

Early life

She was born in Plaquemine, Louisiana[1][4] and lived most of her life in New Orleans. At a young age, Grue fell in love with books and poetry, particularly The Golden Treasury by Louis Untermeyer, which featured female poets.[5] Inspired by the poetry, Grue decided to become a poet herself.[5] She graduated from Sophie B. Wright High School in 1951.[1] She received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of New Orleans in 1963 and a Master of Fine Arts from Warren Wilson College in 1982.[5]

Career

In the early 1960s, Grue began reading her poetry at The Quorum Club, the first non-segregated coffee house in the South.[4] During her time at the club, she met Eluard Burt, who she collaborated with over many years, including on the CD of jazz poetry titled Live! on Frenchmen Street.[6] Ms. Grue founded the New Orleans Poetry Forum in 1972, where she was director until 1990.[5] For many years she promoted poetry readings at her home, establishing there the Backyard Poetry Theater.[7] Starting in 1982, she edited the international independent literary journal, The New Laurel Review[7] which is still published today.[8]

Grue was a visiting writer at Tulane University from 1993 to 1998.[9] Following Hurricane Katrina, she began teaching fiction and poetry at the Alvar Branch of the New Orleans Public Library.[7]

Grue was co-owner of BJ's Lounge in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans with her son, Teal Grue. The bar regularly hosts readings by local poets.[10][11]

Personal life

Lee Meitzen married Ronald David Grue on October 28, 1963, and they were divorced on September 5, 2000.[9] The couple had three children: Celeste, Ian, and Teal.[1]

Grue died on April 3, 2021, at her home in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans. She is survived by her children and four grandchildren.[1]

Awards and honors

  • Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (2018)[12]
  • Poetry and Short Story Award from the Deep South Writer Association (1994)[12]
  • Short Story Award (second place) from Deep South Writer's Conference (1989)[13]
  • Syndicated Fiction Award from PEN (1984)[12]

Fellowships

  • Visiting scholar, Newcomb Center for Research on Women (2003– )[9]
  • Ledig House (1998)[5][12]
  • Virginia Center of Creative Arts (1986, 1988, 1991)[12]
  • Senior Fellow,[14] National Education Association (1984–85)[12]

Works

  • Mending for Memory: Sewing in Louisiana (edited by Lee Meitzen Grue and Susan Tucker, 2017)[15]
  • Blood at the Root: A Novel (2015)[16]
  • Downtown (2011)[17]
  • Three Poets in New Orleans (in collaboration with Biljana D. Obradović and Patricia A. Ward, 2000)[18]
  • Live!: On Frenchman Street (sound recording with Eluard Burt, as the New Orleans Jazz and Poetry Ensemble, 2000)[19]
  • Goodbye Silver, Silver Cloud (1994)[20]
  • In the Sweet Balance of the Flesh (1990)[21]
  • French Quarter Poems (1979)[22]
  • Trains and Other Intrusions: A Chapbook of Poetry (1974)[23]

Notable poems

  • "In the Garden" (04 Sep 2012)[8]
  • "Snug Harbor" (04 Oct 2011)[8]
  • "The Old Ice House on Chartres Street" (2 May 2011)[8]
  • "The Catahoula Hound Visits the Dream of Jean Pierre" (10 Jan 2011)[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Pope, John (April 4, 2021). "Grue, poet, editor and fixture in N.O. writing scene, dies at 87". The New Orleans Advocate. p. 2B. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ Stanton, John (April 9, 2021). "The life and legacy of Lee Meitzen Grue". Gambit. New Orleans, Louisiana. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ Buncombe, Andrew (August 25, 2015). "Hurricane Katrina's legacy 10 years on - a whiter, more gentrified New Orleans; Black and poor people lose out - and new white residents 'complain about the music'". The Independent. London, England.
  4. 1 2 "Lee Meitzen Grue". Octavia Books. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lee Meitzen Grue". Who's Who of Professional Women. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Lee Meitzen Grue Tribute". Black Academy Press, Inc. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 "Grue, Lee Meitzger 1995-013". Newcomb Archives. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "About Lee Grue". Louisiana Poetry Project. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 "(Ann) Lee Grue". Who's Who of American Women (25th, 2006–2007 ed.). Marquis Who's Who. 2005.
  10. ↑ Stanton, John (April 9, 2020). "The Bars of New Orleans Are Closed. They're Still Getting the City Through This". Slate Magazine. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  11. ↑ Alsup, Allison (April 20, 2016). "In a storied town, New Orleans bars create new literary links with readings, events and classes". NOLA.com. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lee Meitzen Grue". Who's Who Lifetime Achievement. December 28, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  13. ↑ Goldsmith, Sarah Sue (October 15, 1989). "Cat show to feature Educated Cat author". The Advocate. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. p. 11-MAG.
  14. ↑ Guillaud, Betty (May 5, 1992). "JazzFest Action and Actors Move to Storyville". The Times-Picayune. New Orleans, Louisiana. p. Living section, E3.
  15. ↑ Grue, Lee Meitzen; Tucker, Susan, eds. (2017). Mending for Memory: Sewing in Louisiana: Essays, Stories, and Poems. New Orleans, Louisiana: New Laurel Review Press. ISBN 9780692811467. OCLC 986241518.
  16. ↑ Grue, Lee Meitzen (2015). Blood at the Root: A Novel. Austin, Texas: Alamo Bay Press. ISBN 9780990863236. OCLC 908649458.
  17. ↑ Grue, Lee Meitzen (2011). Downtown. New Orleans, Louisiana: Trembling Pillow Press. ISBN 9780979070242. OCLC 754714433.
  18. ↑ Grue, Lee Meitzen; Obradovic, Biljana D.; Ward, Patricia A (2000). Three Poets in New Orleans: Lee Meitzen Grue, Biljana D. Obradovic, Patricia A. Ward. Xavier Review Press occasional publication, no. 10. New Orleans, Louisiana: Xavier Review Press. ISBN 9781883275099. OCLC 43383561.
  19. ↑ Lee Meitzen Grue and Eluard Burt (2000). Live!: On Frenchman Street (CD). New Orleans, Louisiana: Big Easy Cyber Studio. OCLC 71781558. LMG7872.
  20. ↑ Grue, Lee Meitzen (1994). Goodbye, Silver, Silver Cloud. Austin, Texas: Plain View Press. ISBN 9780911051728. OCLC 30465121.
  21. ↑ Grue, Lee Meitzen (1990). In the Sweet Balance of the Flesh. Austin, Texas: Plain View Press. ISBN 9780911051551. OCLC 23672044.
  22. ↑ Grue, Lee Meitzen (1979). French Quarter Poems. Long Measure Press. OCLC 4883972.
  23. ↑ Grue, Lee Meitzen (1974). Trains and Other Intrusions: A Chapbook of Poetry (Limited ed.). New Orleans, Louisiana: N.O. Poetry Forum. OCLC 10070498.
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