a tremendous loss
for all of us

This is very sad. Your strength, intelligence, sanity and heart will be deeply missed.

The astounding thing is how he kept writing, contributing here, right up until his last days. Despite everything he was going through.

Kent

His poems, essays, and Harriet posts give ample testimony to how talented, vibrant, and intelligent Reginald was, even under great duress. But casual readers of Harriet may not realize how funny he was, and how bemused he was by all the hubbub he so slyly enjoyed stimulating.

I owed him a phone call which I will always regret not making, but during what turned out to be our last conversation (in which he was quizzing me thoroughly about the New American Poets) ... he was making Tater Tots for lunch. He asked me whether I like them or not, and being a good Memphian, I admitted that I certainly do. Gradually, I found myself involved in a detailed discussion of the Right Way to Cook Tater Tots! (Reginald believed in the slow-cooking method, in case you're curious.)

I know it sounds frivolous to tell such a story on this sad day, but it's worth remembering how for Reginald Shepherd everything mattered. He loved a challenge and in meeting many of them was that rare thing, a gentle soul who was a great fighter.

I met Reginald here at Harriet. He and I both loved and worked with Alvin Feinman at Bennington. Reginald and I had similar life struggles - gay, alone, poor. We had a brief but very heartfelt correspondence, I felt like he was a brother, and we hoped to meet someday. He was very kind, and yes, that's a good way to put it, "a gentle soul who was a great fighter." I know the fight against liver cancer is almost impossible to win. Dear Robert, I cried when I heard the news. I'm so sorry. I hope Reginald and Alvin are already deep in conversation up there.

It's a gift to be able to share ones life in print, it's grace to share ones death.
In my prayers
RIP

This is such sad news. And writing to the end, so recently, both here and on his opwn blog. His bravery and his commitment - even in great pain - to language and meaning, and life itself, were humbling in the best sense. Larger than life, and may his spirit remain so.

Goodbye, Reginald. Somehow the energy of your writing gave the illusion that this could never really happen. I will miss your thoughtful voice around these parts.

This is terrible news -- reading his blog updates (and so recently), I didn't even consider this possibility. He will be missed.

I too am shocked to learn of Reginald's passing, in spite of the health problems he struggled with. And I also regret never having actually met him--we were supposed to meet at the AWP convention in Austin a couple of years ago, but miscommunicated and it never happened. He had something all the more rare for his willingness to show it and subject it to bruising and incomprehension: an exquisite sensibility. I will miss his contentiousness and grace.

I agree, Kent, it was astounding how he kept contributing right up to the end. This past Sunday he asked us to send him all of his Harriet posts by overnight mail. He wanted to see if any might be suitable for a second collection of his essays forthcoming from the University of Michigan Press. The book will consist of all of his essays written subsequently to the completion of Orpheus in the Bronx.

Emily

This is very tragic. I was often moved by Reginald's sharing of his condition with us with such frankness on this blog. While I knew he was very sick, I had no idea that the end was so close. Such a loss.

Kenneth

Like everyone here, I'm so saddened to hear about Reginald. He's been such a strong, forthright struggler -- and so productive, in these last couple of years -- that it just seemed he'd be around forever. I think it must have been a real gift to him to find so many appreciative readers for his essays, blogs and poems; his work seems to have been just flourishing. I hope that everyone who cares about Reginald's work will help keep it visible, keep passing it on,

Emily,

Thank you so much for posting this. I think we're all trying to find the balance of celebrating Reginald's amazing gift to us and mourning his transition. This poem of all poems was a step toward that balance.

Lynne

Reginald

Thank you for adding your spirit to the poetry world. We will miss you.

Sandra

Reginald was a friend, a wit, a wag, a genius, a cousin (we said a few times). The eloquence and candour of the essays he posted here, wrote elsewhere, is only surpassed by (of course) the poems. Thank you, Emily, for posting "You, Therefore" -- extraordinary, heartbreaking. My thoughts are with Robert today.

Marilyn Hacker

Never met him, but corresponded briefly; he was kind. I enjoyed his contributions here, enjoyed arguing with him and agreeing with him, and the news of his passing comes as a horrible shock. I'll miss him.

my condolences to his friends and family.

My condolences to Reginald's friends, family and his partner, Robert.

Brave, brilliant, generous...and remembered.

Reginald, I wish I had gotten a chance to say good bye to you. It's been a long time, and physical distance divided us....I just wanted to say you were, you ARE, great

One of a kind. Full of wit & intellect. Incorrigible. "Encased in talent like a uniform."
I knew him whe he was at Cornell. He came to Thanksgiving dinner *and* Christmas dinner!
A very surprising guy, always. Now I'm shocked.

Reginald Shepherd and Robert Philen have been in my deepest thoughts for several months.
When I read that cells in Reginald's liver were cancerous, I sensed his Earth-alive existence
might soon pass; but alive he is beyond our comminglings/ and also because of them.

[Pause.]

The closest I ever came to Reginald was
through a comment I posted on his blog (web log) about this poem
(though that one may have been a different version of this poem)
and his pleased comment in response.

Safety and strength, Robert Philen.

I would find myself in equal parts yelling at my screen, and equal parts nodding in agreement, at Mr. Shepherd's ruminations here on Harriet. (I don't think he would have liked it if I'd called him "Reginald" without meeting him in person.) More than anything, he made me want to love poetry as deeply as he did, and what more could any poet, any PERSON, do in service of the craft? I knew him primarily for his criticism, but the handfuls of his poems I've read and heard out loud absolutely took/take my breath away. Thank you, Mr. Shepherd.

Peace & poetry, Mr. Shepherd.

He had worked with me for some time in his meticulous kind manner. He had called just the other Saturday to say he had not "blown me off" that he had ben too ill to respond. He went out of his way in his kindnesses. I was readying some poems for him to give me his feedback.
He had such courage and deceny. And now I say to him what he signed his responses off to me: peace and poetry.

So,so sorry to hear this. I only knew him from his writing, but he was amazing, open and thoughtful, and a fighter.

Such a gracious young man. Reginald dealt with all sorts of adversity, and yet he had about him an eternal spirit of optimism. When last we spoke, we planned to have tea at AWP in Chicago. I knew it was bravery on his part, with illness already gaining so quickly upon him. But still I wrote on my calendar "tea with Reginald," not wanting the opportunity to pass.

For the last 15 years, since I met Reginald and his poetry at Iowa, lines of his have eddied, disappeared and resurfaced--"Knock on the moon and the stars/ come out of clouds to guide his barque,/ knock on the stars and the door is opened/ to a temple in Ephesus where a coffined wife's cabochon/ has navigated Neptune's sea of asterisks and breakers,"--as he has, via emails and new books. Even as they drifted, they had a beautiful permanence. They still do.

Had he not told us, holding back nothing, about his myriad challenges and setbacks, it would not have been deduced from his writings. His last posts and essays were as keen and insightful as ever.
Peace and Poetry as Reginald always said...

Reginald was my first, and in some ways my only friend during my first year at Iowa. There are no words to explain what a comfort, a friend and a teacher he was for me during an extremely rough time (it was a bad, bad year, mostly due to non-Iowa things.) He was so funny, so honest, so passionate about poetry and thought, language and speech. Over the years, we lost touch, perhaps because I was never as dedicated to poetry as he was (ha! and who could be?)

But I will always remember him as a lonely broke guy who took a younger lonely broke guy under his wing because he knew he could make a difference... the world is just a smaller place without him.

"OH lonely death on lonely life - sometimes I feel my top most greatness is in my top most despair'
Captain ahab.

Reginald and I became friends several years ago, after he selected my work for a Poets & Writers award. His generosity, wit, brilliance, and deep kindness are things I'll treasure, and it's very moving to read so many similar testimonials here. He made me glad to be a poet, by reminding me of how important and transformative poetry is, in all its otherness.

Reginald, I'm sure these aren't the last words I'll have to offer about you. I only wish you were going to hear them. And that all of us were going to have more of yours. The hurt of losing you is deep, but I'm glad you're past pain. As others have said, peace and poetry, my friend.

Robert, you know my thoughts and love are with you.

I knew that Reginald was going into hospice, but had indulged in the idea that it would be for a period long enough to write him at least once more, to thank him for the poems and interview in the most recent APR, as well as for the whole body of his writing and the whole spirit of his not-wholly-cooperative body. I was almost happy to see comments here addressed to him -- *of course* he's reading this blog! Certainly that would be one of the pleasures of the other side!

So to Reginald I say: Thank you, for who you were and for what you've left on paper to console us. I'm sad (and also angry) that 45 years was all you had -- but you certainly made the most of them!!

To Robert -- my heartfelt sympathies and wishes for you to find strength and, soon, peace.

It's heartbreaking to think that he's left, to think about how he entered my thoughts, how brightly he blazed this last year.

Reginald was my mentor for six months, and I also had the privilege of introducing his faculty reading at Antioch - though I still feel it did not do justice to the man's work. There wasn't a topic in poetry - or in classical music - that Reginald couldn't discuss. He challenged me to be a better writer and a better critical thinker. Sometimes his genius was infuriating - Reginald always gave me the raw truth. For a guy who claimed to dislike confrontation, he sure was good at it! Thank you, Reginald. I wish I had thought of something to say sooner.

Dear friend, genius, luminous soul mate and one of the best minds and most gifted poets of his generation. His rare intellect was vast and without borders. He could see the whole picture with spectacular clarity, openness and great erudition. His mind was uniquely rich, his vision extraordinarily large, his wit unforgettable and his talent profound. I value all of our time together and all of our conversations. I am so lucky and honored to have known him.

My thoughts are with Robert whose commitment to Reginald has made me understand more deeply what love is.

His work was rare, in that it moved smoothly in thoughtful, yet tactile, arenas. His work was hard to pin down. You couldn't call it straight narrative; it wasn't experimental, really. But it was jagged and searching and mysterious, and strong, and unafraid of expressing emotion, though it was always well-earned.

I never spoke with him. I never emailed him, nor he, me. I read probably only a book's worth of his poems spread out over the years in various magazines in print and online, but I found myself strangely distracted today, and, even odder, tearful, and I don't cry easily. So it's a strange thing, really, to find oneself mildly crying, even if briefly, over the loss of a poet one never knew. There's really no excuse for it, nor is there any excuse for his death.

RIP

James Wagner

It was an honor and education to blog with Reginald, however briefly. What a reminder that behind the "blogosphere" and the fast and furious exchanges are real human beings... Condolences to his family, friends and partner.

Afternoons with magazines, I inevitably came upon at least one of Reginald's poems and always stopped for it, always knew I'd be glad for it. I'll miss that invigorating presence.

Travel safely, Reginald. My sympathy and condolences to Robert, and to his family of friends.

He adored poetry.
When he came to dinner suddenly many bottles of pills were on the table. He wasn't the least reverent about them. He was candid. The pills went down & the outrageous bemused comments bubbled up.
I was in awe of the hugeness of his decisions & judgements. What would have seemed like crippling losses to me, unimaginable even, just seemed part & parcel of his lightness, even though he was portly. He needed health insurance but was *certainly* bigger than his job.
Robert, I don't think we have met. I was very happy for Reginald when he found you, & read many loving references to you in the years since then, right up to his last published words. Please accept my deep sympathy for your loss, & poetry's.
Mairead

Rest in peace, Reginald.
Daisy

Fly with the stars.

Pris

A gracious reader and poetic correspondent.

In peace,

I'm devastated. We met seven years ago and built a lasting friendship, one that I so needed and was so honored to have. I'm moved to read that he touched so many people in the same way, with his brilliance, kindness, honesty and incredible generosity. We were all lucky to have him here, this beautiful man, however briefly. Thank you, Reginald.

A voice animated by the peaceful power of intelligence is quiet today. Sadly we pull the covers close and morn a world that has suddenly grown too tightly near but a good deal less warm.

Reginald IS in peace and poetry

His erudition was such a treasure. What a genrous mind.

I corresponded with Reginald for several years and last year arranged for him to speak at the University of Oregon. Unfortunately his illness intervened, so we never met. I feel the absence of that meeting as a great weight today. For some reason I kept almost every e-mail we sent back and forth. I think I will assemble them as a whole and read through them in order to feel his unique light wash over me again. Seldom have I encountered such a pure, shining intelligence. Seldom, too, a person less ready to depart, which makes his loss seem unjust.

One of the more recent entries on my Oregon Review blog was a short review of his Orpheus in the Bronx. I'm glad he saw that.

If Pitt or some other publisher contemplates a collected works (and what works they are!), count me in as an underwriter.

Reginald

Who on my Stonecoast graduation night
danced on a cane like James Brown
like a Dancin' Machine
winding up all that motion
into another brilliance

Who did not like to be called "Reggie"
you were the dark genius
the dissonant light
seated at the head of the table
on the very first row of a reading
in the middle of an ocean
you were the crescendo

How can we not hear
you sleep?

Reginald's intellect humbled me. The fact that it could emanate from a body in such extremity is doubly humbling. Amidst all the ephemera of cyberspace, he wrote criticism that matters. His loss turns me back to his books, his beautiful, durable gifts to the world.

I hope Reginald knew how much he will be missed. I only knew him a little bit--we corresponded a little about each others poems, met at a couple of AWPs, and then he wrote a review for me of Mark Doty's last book for PW. It seems clear to me that, for him, poetry was a lifeline in a way it is for very few of us. Thinking of him reminds me of how lucky I feel to have poetry in my life. Somehow, too, his death seems like such a surprise, even though it wasn't. He was one of the presences in the poetry community that one felt would simply always be there. Again, I hope he knew how powerful his absence would be.

Sad news indeed. edward mycue

this is heartbreaking. very sad news. may he rest in peace.

Damn. Though I didn't know him personally, he seemed to be great man and a great poet.

The last time I saw Reginald was at the AWP in NYC this past February and we, like so many here, made future plans for getting together, for debate, for exchanging work, etc. Fittingly, our last correspondence was via the the virtual world of email...From now on, the even more virtual world of writings passing one another...

Tyrone

Reginald was both my MFA mentor and good friend--he never failed to push me intellectually, changing the way I think about, not only literature, but life in general. Though his life was far too short, he made more out of his time than most people who have the opportunity to live twice as long. His passion was unceasing, and his love for literature, music, and people was unending.

I will miss you, my friend. Terribly. Much love to Robert Philen (who Reginald always called "my Robert").

I miss him.

http://jasperbernes.blogspot.com/2008/09/reginald-shepherd-1963-2008.html

I had the good fortune to spend many days and evenings with Reginald. I've been bear hugged by him, shared meals with him (which were always adventurous) and talked to of him many things. It's not enough though, There should have been more of everything.
Rick Campbell

What an utterly prepared mind he brought to the world of American poetry. What a spacious and prepared mind. He took his role here, and his role as poet-critic in such a positively unique level of seriousness. I am sad to know of his passing, but happy to have listened so closely to his speech.

I knew Reginald only through his blog. I was taken with such a strong mind and heart speaking to me through the medium not usually transmitting something as powerful as his words. Close to the same time as Reginald's death, another poet, Martin Blackman, also died of the same disease. Martin was my friend and former student. I keep picturing them together waiting for their flight to whatever comes next...

This is indeed a loss. And what courage to write from beginning to end.

Such sad news. Reggie was the first poet ever to read at the Downtown Writer's Center here in Syracuse, and was tremendous on any number of levels. He'll be deeply missed.

I am deeply saddened by the news of his death. I didn't know him personally but I always admired his uncompromising intellect and ferocious talent from afar. He will be remembered.

A great poet. Shepherd and Mills, Chicago will miss you.