[Craig Arnold]

Terrible news this weekend for friends and family of American poet Craig Arnold.  Word spread quickly among the writing world at the end of April that Craig went missing on a small island in Japan while exploring an active volcano as research for an upcoming book.  Around the world, people sent concern and contributions to a fund set up to finance search operations.  Sadly, the most recent news reveals that Craig has most likely fallen to his death from a cliff where his tracks were found to end by an American search and rescue squad.

The sadness of Craig’s passing is obvious.  I feel deeply for his family, friends, colleagues.  I have been teaching from his first book, Shells, for several years now, and have admired him as a poet since I first saw him read at Kenyon College in 1999.  And I will continue to do so.  It seems to me like the best fitting act of remembrance.  In an article for the Salt Lake Tribune, Craig’s colleague, Professor Jacqueline Osherow is quoted as saying, “This is a loss to American literature and letters. It’s wrong to say he was full of promise, because he delivered on that.”  That seems accurate to me.

Remember Craig Arnold: read one of his poems.